Pokemon: Saga of Jade
by Nicki Fowl
Summary: In an age of anthro-hybrid pokemon, join the story of one of the 'poke-people', Jade, as she and Ash see the world of pokemon, man, and prejudice through the eyes of the innocent.  Join them, in the Saga of Jade.
1. Introduction

**Pokémon:**

Saga of Jade

By: Nicki Fowl (whose real moniker is that of Michael Antony Hunt)

_"My research is my fight. I fight, so one day man can heal with a touch, and pokèmon no longer live in fear. I fight so we can all live together. My dream is that pokèmon and men can stand together without prejudice hand in hand, not either pokèmon or human, but as we were always meant to be, a single united people. Maybe I'm crazy, but is not all love insane at times, and if a man loves the whole world enough to offer himself to living hell and still keep that same love in his heart, would he not have to be the craziest bastard in the world? That, Jade, is what this research is for, and that is what I mean."_

-Hiora, Priest of the Immortal Way, pokèmon genetics professor

-Intro-

I remember the day that I found her, a daughter of one of my more 'accepted' experiments. She came to my dwelling because she was being hunted by her own kind. I could not understand the reasoning behind that. They had human traits, yet they saw themselves above humans, I suppose the irony behind that is the fact that humans believed themselves superior to them, which would explain much.

She came seeking sanctuary from them, so as a man of decency and faith I provided what she asked. Those foolish enough to seek her demise in the house of Immortals dared to cross the threshold with anger in their hearts. Being a man of humble belief I bade them to leave with their anger and reminded them of the plea of sanctuary that all true followers must provide. Naturally in their haste they ignored my warnings. They proceeded to attempt to take her by force, so I had to deter them by forcible means. Their cries of mercy, however, forced me to once more implore them to take leave of this house of Gods and Devils, and this time they heeded my words, departing in peace.

The one who had come here thanked me for my protection, and I told her not to think of it. I showed her all the others who'd had similar pleas for sanctuary, and told her that I consider her, like the others, one of my children, though she had no idea how close to the mark I had been. As a human myself, I gave her a place to sleep, with the desire to help those in need fuelling my actions. She accepted, and I told her that I would help her find a safe home among the kind she had been despised for associating with, for she loved a human boy. What was his name, again? Dominic? Zach? Oh, that's right.

His name was Ash.

This is the story of him, and his love.

She was a pokèmon.

-Intro end-


	2. Ch 1: Survival of the Fittest, Part 1

**Chapter 1**

Survival of the Fittest, Part 1

Deep in the woods of the Sinnoh region, a man had built a shack. This shack was nothing special. Until it was visited by Ho-Oh, then it became the center of attention in the region. Soon after, many legendary pokèmon came there, and seemed to be only to visit the man who had founded the shack. He was nothing special, a lightly colored man who wore only long green robes, a set of fur pants and a shirt, and wooden sandals. Yet this man, this 'Priest of the Immortals' seemed to attract the attention of so many famous creatures that naturally, people grew curious. He did not care. He himself was human, but knew that his own kind would never have accepted his ideals and way of life. So he set himself up in the middle of the woods, where not just the legendary, but all manners of pokèmon paid visits.

Even some trainers and other traveling people paid him visits, and he welcomed them all. He did not discriminate between the pokèmon and the humans, and welcomed all to this place. But even so, only the pokèmon seemed to give him any respect. Those seeking shelter and safety would come to him, and he would provide until they could survive on their own once again, but they would always be welcome to return, for he viewed them all as his own children, and even some of the people soon learned the name of 'Father Hiora'.

A while after his shack had been built; a new breed of pokèmon began to rise from the depths. They were neither truly pokèmon, but neither were they man. Many trainers tried to capture them, but to their surprise, no pokéballs would work on them. They all just bounced off as if hitting a regular person. These new breeds would also soon give rise to new laws, and many controversial changes over the next few years. Various regions would forbid relationships with these 'poké-people', and often they would be mistreated. Regardless, there would also be nations that would approve of the bonds, and Sinnoh, as advised by Father Hiora, would be one of that number. Not one war was declared, but it was indeed a war. These creatures would live like people, act like people, and even be able to breed with people, but they would not be able to live with people. So they retreated to the forests, the deserts and the mountains, seeking protection from those who could provide it. Often, like the witch hunts of old, groups of angered people would go on rampages attempting to "purify the taint of these damnable pests", but they would be halted by none other than the legendaries themselves and the Priest who rode them.

This state of life carried on for years, and it never got any easier. As the tension grew, more and more of these new pokèmon appeared, and it has lead to many developments. Some have become presidents, leading to revolutions in diplomacy between these, the pure pokèmon, and man. Some have become scientists, expanding the knowledge of poké-genetics and other leading to many scientific discoveries. Throughout it all, an unspoken blood feud has arisen between these regions, slowly but surely rising in tension and danger, leading to only one inevitable outcome.

A total and unrelenting, all out, brutal war.

Although expected, the catastrophes were and still are astonishing. Battle after bloody battle fought over the rights of these humanoid, 'poké-anthros'. Yet, the war that is fought over them is not laden with their bodies. The fields of battle hear not the cries of a poké-anthro soldier, for they are unable to fight for their own freedom. Regardless, they continue to live, and to run from those who would do them harm.

Those who they cannot stop for they are forbidden to fight them.

So now, all of the poké-anthro people hide. They hide form those they believed would protect them, yet prevent them from protecting themselves. They hide from those who would due them harm. They hide from those who would abuse them. They hide from those who would turn them into toys.

They hide, because they are afraid.

Now, in the modern day, approx. 10 years later, a poké-anthro female Lucario is trying to live her life. She does more than that. She finds love, hope, terror, and above all, a future for the world. This is her saga.

This is the saga of Jade.

/

/_cue theme song_/

/

Hiora sat upon his mat of reed, inhaling the incense from the bowl before him. He stroked his silver hair, his lightly tanned skinned looking as if the sun from the skylight was kissing it. His fingerless gloves, blue in color, seemed to hug his fluffy semi-short hair as they slowly made their way over it. He wore his classic green robe, and looked to the entire world a wizened old ninja sage, despite having no headband and being only 35 years old.

Regardless, the Priest of the Immortal Way had enough wisdom in his thirty plus years on this earth to be able to effectively kick eight different colors of shit out of anyone that to pull any funny business on him or his family. He stroked the head of a small female pokèmon Oshawatt laying in his lap, and lay there, his legs crisscrossed beneath him, and enjoyed life.

For about three seconds before some random crazy bastard with a bloody cleaver burst through the door of his wooden home, bringing a small raging wind with him that extinguished the ends of the incense in the incense burner. The man in butcher's clothes screamed at him from across the hall, waving his cleaver like the madman he most likely was. "You mother fucking whore! That Oshawatt was supposed to help bring in business! It was doing great too! I—"  
>"She."<br>"What?"  
>"This Oshawatt is a she."<p>

The man snarled, "I don't give a damn what gender that thing is, that Oshawatt is going back with me and getting back to giving my customers what they want!" Hiora lifted the Oshawatt off of his lap and spoke to her, "Jennifer, get out of here, it's about to get very dangerous."

The Oshawatt Jennifer nodded before running off behind him and through a door to his left. The butcher looked livid, "You named that little piece of shit, what the hell you go and do that for?"  
>"Because, unlike you, I treat creatures with the respect they deserve."<br>"Hah! Respect? That little sex toy doesn't need respect!"  
>"Why do you treat her so? She is not one of the poké-anthros, yet you treat her as less than even that."<br>"Like I should give a damn what the fuck 'she' is. As long as 'she' brings me some dough, I'm gonna use it how I want! Now, though, I'll probably have to serve her up as a special! Mm-mm, Oshawatt stew! That should fix the pile of shit 'she' left me in!"

Hiora stood, and clapped his hands together as if praying, "She will not be apart of your sick perverted interests any longer, Butcher Manta. She is staying here under my protection. I ask you to depart in peace with your anger, and no harm will befall you. If you persist in your actions, you shall leave me no choice but to effectively shove my wooden sandal up your ass. So, choose."

Manta thought for a second, or rather pretended to think, and then grinned at Hiora, "I think I'll kill you, and take any pokèmon you have here. A few more whores should definitely bring in business."

Hiora stared him in the eyes, and his own changed from an inviting green to pure silver, "Wrong. Answer."

He threw his hands out with the fingers pointed inwards and stated, "Flash Maelstrom."

At first, nothing happened, and the butcher laughed as he took a step across the threshold into the hall. Hiora smiled.

**BOOM!**

An enormous gust of wind blew Manta out of the small wood building and into the tree behind him, causing him to drop his cleaver on the ground.

Hiora was there in a flash. He held the man to the tree with one hand, while making a casting sign with the other over his chest. "Wha— what the fuck are you?"  
>"Pissed. Off."<p>

(Cue: chorus of Kick-start my heart)

He threw the man into the air, flashed, and proceeded to land a flurry of punches to the butcher's stomach. He kicked him back down, making sure not to kill him but make him hurt like hell, and landed lightly between his legs, where he saw a pee stain on the trousers.

Manta leaned up, and looked Hiora straight in the demonic silver eyes. "What is it you're going to do to me? I'm just trying to earn a living!" Hiora gave him a glare of death. "I'm gonna do to you what I do to any horny, berserk animal."

"I'm gonna chill you the fuck out."

Then he stomped on Manta's balls with both feet, causing him to scream in pain and run off into forest, clutching his former jewels.

(End of tune)

Hiora removed the hair from his vision as he watched the butcher sprint off into the trees, catching a few of them with his face, his eyes returning to their natural green color. He knew he shouldn't enjoy the sight of that, but hell, why not; the guy deserved more than a quick and dirty operation like that.

He sighed. People like that were worse than the ones that hated the poké-anthros. If they only knew, he mused, but they could never know, because it would be far worse than just harboring a few lonely creatures, it would mean chaos beyond end, death to millions, and most importantly to him, it would threaten what he stood for.

Hiora returned to his reed mat, and sat down once more. He assumed a meditative stance, and inhaled deeply; a Chimchar had replaced his extinguished incense and lit the ends, who he thanked by rubbing his head. He concentrated, and began once more to enjoy life around him, as pokèmon from all different regions started to come close and sleep near or on him.

Meanwhile, at a local bar…

"I tell ya, Mack, that Hiora shit-head needs to be knocked off his high an' mighty Ponyta. He needs a serious ass-kicking."  
>"I don't think that's possible, Manta. The guy is just too powerful. Haven't you heard the story?"<br>"What story?"

"You know that local legend. The one about 'Holy Demon' Hiora. They say that when he came here he was already a powerful man. That spot he picked out was a hotspot for the energy he feeds on to survive. Plus, after all those legendaries came and _visited_ him, I don't think it's healthy for you to get him mad."  
>"Bah! Shut your trap, Mack, you always were an old woman when it came to rumors. I say the only thing he needs is to be brought back to reality. The real world isn't Butterfrees and honey-bees; it's full of a boatload of cold, hard <em>shit<em>."  
>"Careful what you say, Manta, people might not like you mouthing off to the guy that took on the entire Johto army single-handed."<p>

His eyes widened, "You mean you believe that?"  
>"Damn straight, I did more than believe it, I watched it first hand."<br>"Holy… What happened? How did he manage to take on four hundred men at once?"  
>"Not four hundred, four hundred <em>thousand<em>."

"Precisely my sentiments, Manta. Let me tell you, it wasn't a war."

"It was a slaughter."

-Flashback-

Mack: 'I could easily remember what happened that day, the day that was supposed to be my first assignment. I was to record the battle techniques for the recruits back at the base camp, so they could learn how to march, how to shoot, and most importantly, how not to loose your head in a crisis situation.'

'This was standard procedure for the Johto military, in order to keep the future troops up to date with the latest techniques as fast as possible. Now I know it was just a bunch of bull-shit that was meant to make us feel like we'd accomplished something. Still, it worked, and I was selected for duty, so naturally I had to view it from the top of a tree.'

'I primed the camera and started to record the troop actions, when it happened.'

'Out of nowhere, a man-like monster came from the woods nearby and tore into the troops. He had this enormous ashen gray arm, and it had a lot of weird Chinese or Japanese symbols all over it. His right eye was a golden cat's eye with a black slit, and he wore armor that glowed like moonlight. His cape was green, and his other eye was a demonic gray. He had a green cape, and he moved so fast I swear that it looked like there was three of him at once.'

'The absolutely strangest thing was, as he tore through the troops, he spoke the name of each one before killing them. I don't mean just the first name; he said the full name and rank before his clawed gray demon hand tore the _fuck_ out of them. It was brutal.'

'It took about an hour or two before the entire 'battlefield' was covered with the bodies of the fallen. Not one of them would leave, because there were no non-fatal wounds. Every last one of them had either their head smashed open, a hole through their chest, or cleaved in two. It made me sick. Blood from my comrades was feeding the roots of the trees, and the body parts littered the ground like pieces of trash from a summer festival.'

'I got down from the tree, and walked amongst the dead. The smells of them made me nearly hurl, and I couldn't help but grow more and more fearful with each step further into the field.'

'My camera was recording it all, and then I heard a voice.'

"Do you mourn them?"

'I whipped over to the left to see him standing there, holding himself as if he were the commander of this fallen force. I had the urge to jump him, but thought better when I remembered what happened to the other troops.'

'He looked at me and spoke, "I envy you and your people. They are ignorant. Ignorance is bliss, but also painful." He looked back to the crowds of dead, "Take these fallen soldiers for example. They each have their own reasons to fight, yet are ignorant of the intentions of those who rule them. Furthermore, they fight even though what they are fighting for is against what they want, because they choose to deny they are doing wrong."'

'He hung his head, "I feel for the fallen. I know it was wrought by my hand, but I know that I might have prevented it if I fought harder." He looked back at me, a dangerous look upon his face, "You. You and your people. Look upon this field, and burn it into your memories. If any of you threaten the worlds of pokémon or the poké-anthros, look back upon this day, and remember these solemn words."

"This is but a small portion of the power behind me."'

'With that, he fled to the woods, and it was only later that I realized that he had been looking not at me, but straight into the lense of the camera.'

-End Flashback-

Manta took a moment to process what he'd said, looking back at that film that had been used to rally forces against someone, someone whose name he somehow forgot.

He waved it off, "Ah, that's just a load of horse dung. I say, we gather all the fighters in the village, storm the place, and kill the stupid bastard."

Mack looked at him, "Are you serious? Think about what you're saying? Taking that many people to what could be there death? Have you lost your mind?"  
>"No! I lost my balls! Now that caretaker of whores is gonna get his! I swear it!"<br>"Manta, listen to yourself, you've gone mad. You're even crazier than usual. What makes you think that anyone is going to follow somebody just because he lost his nuts and his main attraction to a pokémon protector?"

He smiled, "How about nearly the entire village?"  
>"You're absolutely crazy. That's got to be at least 300 people you're sending to death just because you want some payback!"<p>

Manta slammed his fist on the counter, "I don't give a damn! I don't care if he slayed three hundred thousand or three hundred million, I'm gonna make that son of a bitch pay, he will PAY!"

With that, he stormed off, grabbing his coat and heading down to the village square, where he would meet with the mob that would take Hiora's head right off, or so he hoped.

Meanwhile, back at the Infinity Temple…

Hiora was sleeping in his room when he heard a large noise. Several large noises. Then he heard a familiar voice scream, "Come on! Ram it harder! We have to take the place down!"

He bolted from his floor mat and out of the covers, donning his robe and other apparel, before sprinting for the front door.

What he saw made him very unhappy.

A few dozen people were holding a battering ram, and attempting to cave in the door. He shouted, "What in the blazes of a Flame-thrower is going on here?"

Manta, behind the battering ram, shouted back, "We're here to teach you a lesson, you back-stabbing, thieving little fuck-head!"

Hiora shouted to the crowd, "Stop! This is protected property! If you try to destroy it you'll bring the wrath of the entire Sinnoh region upon yourselves!"  
>"That's a laugh! What region would want to protect a nation and his stupid pokémon?"<p>

Hiora's eye twitched, "What. Did. You. Just. Call. Them?"  
>"Not too bright, are you? I called them stupid! That's right, there a bunch of horny, <em>stupid<em>, filthy little ingrates that are here to serve us! So give 'em back before we kill you, and any others in there."

They did not notice the wind picking up, or the heat starting to emit from Hiora's body. "Pokémon are not stupid, they are thinking beings that deserve our respect and admiration. Poké-anthros to. In fact, I protect both here."

Manta perked up, "Fantastic, then after we kill you, we have even better bitches and bastards to use, so the rest of the pokémon are just wasting life."

He snapped.

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a whirlwind, his rage cracking the ground beneath his feet, and now he had veins throbbing all over his body. "POKÉMON ARE NOT A WASTE OF LIFE! IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF THAT DESERVE ETERNAL DEATH! NOW I'M NOT JUST PISSED OFF, I'M ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, ABSOLUTELY, _FURIOUS!_"

He threw himself out of his crouch, and the wind pulsed outwards, diverting everyone's gazes. Then they heard a shout. "ONIGAN NO JUTSU! ART OF THE DEMON EYE!"

Oh. Shit.

When the windstorm cleared, they got a view of what was before them. Manta recognized the figure. It was an exact duplicate of the figure from Mack's story.

The figure had a large ashen gray arm, a golden cat's right eye with a black slit, a grey left eye, a green cape, and even had the armor that glowed like moonlight.

That's when Manta remembered the title that Hiora was known for. He cried it out, "He's the legendary Halo Demon! Oh sh—"

This was all he got out before Hiora blitzed forward and pierced Manta's head with his demon arm. Then he proceeded to incapacitate everyone else from the village. He devastated the battering ram with a storm of razor leaves, and delivered blazing fast kicks and punches to everyone. Literally, he had trails of fire following his punching demon arm and both his feet. The entire 'fight' took about 30 minutes.

Afterwards, everyone ran, hobbled, or speed-crawled away from him. Once they were gone, he took a deep breath, following it with the motion of his arms up then down, and with a poof of smoke, returned to his normal self.

Then he shook his fist after them like an old man, "Yeah, that's right, run cowards run! Run on back to your homo-mommas like the bitches you are, and unless you want to have another example of this, stay _the fuck off of my property!_"

He chilled out after a minute, and smiled, "Damn I've wanted to do that." After he waited another minute for the crowds to leave, he turned on back around, and went back into the building. He returned to his reed mat bed, and slept.

Thus was the typical day for Hiora the Priest.

/

/

/

Meanwhile, about two miles from the clearing where he was located…

A village, hidden deep within the forest, held a race of beings that were outcasts, self-exiled to protect themselves from the human race.

It was a village of poké-anthros.

Here, on the fringes of modern civilization, lived a race of poké-anthro Lucario. They lived like the Indians, only with a far more sophisticated mind. Using small technologies and whatever else they could acquire, it was in the middle of a forest in the Sinnoh region that they managed to keep alive. They stood like people, with only their fur for clothing, and walked on the legs of animals. The hands were still paws, only with digits slightly longer and thinner, not to the point where it was significant, but enough to be noticed when compared. Some had belts, with knives or guns or even bow and arrows attached to their backs or hips. All, however, lived as they saw fit; in a peaceful society with little human contact.

It was here, outside the influence of those they hid from, that a particular Lucario female was being guided to the hut in the center building. She had piercing green eyes, her hands tied in front of her, being 'guided' by a guard in front and provoked by a guard from behind. As she was brought to the core of the village, many of the residents paused in the middle of whatever they were doing to watch her. Even children stopped playing for the moment as she was taken to the most important looking building there.

Her name was Jade.

She tugged the rope tied to the one around her hands, and received a similar tug forward. The guards never said anything, and as the village gathered around, she began to get nervous. Soon, she reached the mouth of the large temple-like hut, and the guard behind her pushed her inside before he and his friend followed.

The inside of the hut was bare, except for seven different seats. In the center sat a full blooded pokémon Lucario, with three men on his left, and three women on his right, in chairs of bone and leather before a deep pit of fire. He held a staff that had a pearl with a snake wrapped around it that seemed to come straight from the wood, and alive. The three poké-anthro men and the poké-anthro women each wore a necklace of diamond on a single string, and the pokémon had a crown of deer antlers.

This was the High Council.

The guard from in front pushed her to her knees as they both kneeled, and held their spears in respect of the seven figures before them. The pokémon waved a paw, and with a flourish, they stood by the door, ready should Jade try anything. Then he looked Jade in the eye and spoke. She knew if any humans were hear they would just hear rough noises and repeats of what he was called, but to her it sounded like plain English.

"Jade, you have been brought before the High Council, accused of acts of treason and weakness towards the human race, a race that tried to destroy your fellow people. As such, you fall foul of the Creed, our code of law, and are here to be judged by we who lead this village in times of crisis. I ask you to step forth, and choose how you shall plead."

One of the things borrowed from human culture was the law system. It was fair, but held a few faults, according to the poké-anthros. Consisting of one pokémon and six bound-by-oath-of-death jurors, this was how the villages tended to deal with anyone who violated the laws of the land.

Jade stood, and looked to the council. Not one of them would believe her to be innocent, too much evidence had been presented before, and she would not be here unless the High Council was absolutely convinced of her guilt. She thought about the Creed, the code of laws written by the generation before her, three years before her birth. As she cycled through each and every line, she couldn't stop herself from gasping when she realized that she had an out that was right in front of her.

The man on the far end stood, "What is it? What did you think up? Well, whatever it is, it isn't going to save you this time! You are going to be punished, and not anything you say will cover your ass this time, traitor, we've—"

The council leader held up his paw and cut off the man's rant. The council member sat back down, an irritable look upon his face. "Now then," the pokémon said, "as the Grand Master of this council, I request that you speak, condemned, and do so without the fear of reprisal. Let us hear what you have to say before we begin."

Jade took a deep breath to calm down. What she was about to do was risky, but it could guarantee her freedom and survival. She looked the Grand Master straight in the eye, and spoke only ten words, "I hereby invoke the rite of survival of the fittest."

Silence. For the longest time, no one said anything. Then the council member from before stood again and started to rant, "You have no right to use the laws that you have violated so completely for your own benefit! You are a traitor, and do not deserve the mercy of that rite! Grand Master, you must back me on this, she does not have any right to use that!"

The Grand Master was silent for at least a full minute. Then he finally spoke, "I allow the usage of the rite of survival of the fittest. Jade, as the prey, you shall have until the sun is halfway to slumber to prepare and meet at the starting grounds."

"She has—"  
>"I am still the Grand Master of this council, am I not Pyre? I and I alone have the final say in matters such as this. She is still a citizen of this village, and is therefore entitled to all the same protections and rights that you are. Must we go through this again?"<p>

That matter settled Pyre took his seat again. The Grand Master turned back to Jade, "Forgive him; he still has much to learn about being a member of this council. The guards here will escort you to the supply grounds, so you can stock on the standard tools for your survival, if you choose to."

Jade bowed, "With all due respect sir, I believe that we should go back to the old method. Back to when passing the rite required those participating to use nothing but what they found in nature. This way, it would truly be like before, where those fit to survive would, and those who were not would not."

The Grand Master stroked his chin, thinking, as Pyre tried to reason with him, "Grand Master, she is obviously trying to further turn the tables in her favor! It is already enough that she managed to invoke the rite; she does not need any other advantages! Think about who we're dealing with!"  
>"Enough!"<p>

He held up his paw for silence, then spoke, "Jade, I have decided to also grant you this boon. I believe it shall please those who preceded us for you and those you shall be escaping to go back to the old ways. Neither you nor the hunters pursuing you will be using anything but what is of the land you shall be hunted in. This is the final word in the matter. Now, guards, take her to the starting grounds so that she may prepare and plan for what is to come, the council and myself will debate on who shall hunt her."

Once more, Jade and the guards bowed before they left. "Wait!" They stopped, turning back to the Grand Master. "Do not forget to remove her bonds and place the ruby necklace on her. Now go, we must discuss the hunting party."

The guards removed her bonds and placed a ruby on a vine woven string around her neck before leaving, showing that they had followed his orders. Then they took her out of the council building, in time for Pyre to explode.

"What have you done, Grand Master? You have practically guaranteed her survival!"  
>"Precisely."<br>"What?"  
>"It would not do to turn into a party of violent tyrants, Pyre. We are not meant to play God. All people deserve a chance at redemption, and this is hers."<br>"There is a difference between being given a chance and having it handed to you on a silver platter, Grand Master. She is a traitor."  
>"She is also my daughter."<p>

This shocked the council. No one knew that the Grand Master had been having a relationship with a woman of the villagers. He smiled slightly, "The fact that you all are shocked means that my subterfuge has not been in vain. She does not even know she is my daughter. Only I and her mother know of this, and one of them is unable to speak of this matter." He grew solemn, "I have done this for one reason and one reason only; I want her to live with a bright and glorious future, and not bound to this place like myself. However, I cannot openly intervene, as it would put her in danger and be unfair to all others. So I took the outlet she unwittingly provided not only for herself, but for me as well, and gave her the best chance of living a free life. I still have to make it so it is fair, so I appoint you, Councilman Pyre, as head of the hunt for my daughter. I know you have the greatest chance of beating her in this matter. If you manage to conquer her somehow, you will be praised by the village but feel the guilt in your own heart. If you fail, you shall feel you did right, but be criticized by the village. I believe the human term for this is 'damned if you do, and damned if you don't.' This will be an excellent test of what is important to you, to follow what is believed by all, or to follow what is believed in your own heart. This is a dilemma each of us on the council face every day, so you would have to go through it at some point."

Pyre sat, dumbfounded. He had never known what anyone on the High Council went through, let alone the Grand Master. Now he had to choose which way was the right way of dealing with this situation. He held his head in both hands, now feeling foolish for what he said earlier.

The Grand Master put his left paw on Pyre's shoulder, holding the staff in his right, and looked him in the eyes like a father to a son, "Pyre, I want you to know, that whichever choice you make, the entire council and myself will not be disappointed, and will back you all the way."

Pyre first looked at him, and then at each of the members in turn, who nodded or held thumbs up or some other approving gesture when he looked at them. He smiled, "Thank you, thank you all."

The Grand Master then raised his staff, "Now, I, Grand Master Kenta of the Lucario poke-anthro village, do hereby declare this council meeting adjourned." He hit the ground with the bottom of the staff, and everyone in the council got up and left the hut, the case officially settled.

-At the starting grounds, when the sky started to turn colors-

Jade stood in the dirt circle at the edge of the forest, crouching low so she could get a fast start when the signal was given. She was already thinking about the different ways she might be able to make it through there alive. The tension filled her mind and her gut, or at least she hoped it was tension.

Pyre stood with a group of the best hunters he had chosen for the event, about three feet away from the dirt circle. He looked to Grand Master Kenta, who stood on a stone platform opposite the sun, wearing red robes to symbolize his office.

He spread his arms wide, "People of the village, the rite of survival is the oldest of the animal world laws! Today, we join here to tribute to that mighty ancient law with the oldest of events in the history of the world, the hunt! Today, one of our own risks her life against a group of our greatest hunters in order to leave our village. She must find shelter from them and evade them for one full day! If she succeeds, she will be outside the power of this village!"

Then he grew cold, "If she fails, the hunters will either kill her, or drag her back here to be hung."

Then he pointed his staff at Jade, "Villager Jade, you have chosen this in order to pay for treason, therefore you shall be penalized. Instead of the hunt beginning when the sun sleeps, when it had descended half way through the ground beyond, the hunters will be released. Furthermore, you must evade them for an extra day. Are you still willing to accept this?"  
>"Yes!"<br>"Very well. Are you ready?"  
>"Yes, Grand Master!"<br>"Councilman Pyre, are you and your hunters ready?"  
>"Yes, Grand Master!"<p>

He waited for the sun. When the sun kissed the ground, he raised his staff towards the sky, "Let the hunt begin!"

Like a bullet from a gun, Jade was off, already weaving through the trees. She quickly picked up a glob off mud and started to rub it over herself, covering her smell. She grabbed a stick, and used her fangs to start carving a sharp point. She saw a sharp stone, stopped to pick it up, and proceeded to lash it to the stick's other end with vine.

As she vanished into the trees, the sun descended. When the sun was halfway gone, Pyre gave a cry, and the other hunters followed him into the trees. Some imitated her and started to craft crude spears from the woods around them. Others preferred to conjure up aura balls or bone staffs. All of them were slowly being consumed by the thrill of the hunt. All except Pyre, as he was doing his best to keep his attention keen so he could find a way to work a trick to her advantage…

-The woods, hours later-

Jade tripped on a tree root for the fifth time, and swore, but she didn't stop. The hunting party was slowly gaining on her, and she _had_ to get away. Thinking fast, she threw one of her wood spears crudely tied to her back and pierced a Growlithe, which she had no idea why he was there but did not care a bit. Getting it to follow her, she ran in the direction of the hunting party where she tricked the Growlithe by using a wood hook in her crude quiver to swing into the trees. The Growlithe, confused, spotted the unfortunate hunting party and proceeded to pound the living tar out of them, while she dropped down and quietly sprinted away, thanking the ancient beings for getting that Growlithe to cross her path.

She knew the Growlithe wouldn't hold off the party for long, so she used her time wisely to haul ass and get as far away as possible. She got a good distance from them and, trying something, quickly climbed a tree and proceeded to jump from branch to branch to get a little extra speed out of her legs. She was surprised when it worked, at least to the point where she could get off the ground and not be halted by all those bothersome roots and crap that apparently was slowing her down.

It wasn't long, however, before the hunting party managed to take down the Growlithe and start catching up to her again. She stopped hopping along the branches and crouched among the leaves, watching the hunting party stop right where she was hiding.

Pyre raised his hand, halting the hunting party. He started sniffing the air, trying to get her scent again. He looked around, hoping she might have left something he could spot while 'sniffing' to throw off the party.

At the same time, Jade watched from the branches, slowly pulling a spear from the quiver on her back, when she felt a pang in her gut. The same pang she had felt at the beginning of the hunt. She rubbed her stomach, trying to relax it, when a scent caught her attention. She took a large whiff, and tried to recognize it. It was… attractive somehow, and as she inhaled, she felt a small sexual arousal come over her.

Her eyes got large, and she swore in her mind, '_Shit, please, not heat, not __now_.' Her pleas were ignored by whatever divine beings she prayed to, because she was indeed in heat. It was proven when she stroked the sides of her private areas with her first two fingers, and then sniffed the residue, which were most definitely her own pheromones. She swore again, this time almost actually vocalizing her disdain. Despite the fact she was upwind of them, it wouldn't take much for her scent to get caught, and then she would be in even worse trouble. If they caught her now, she might not even make it back to the village before someone had their way with her.

As she thought, she noticed the leader of the pack, and uttered a profanity for the third time in as many minutes. Why, out of all of the people in the village, did it have to be _him_? Oh, she knew Pyre. He was one of the people who had tried to 'deflower' her, and was the first to feel just how hard she could kick a crotch and not feel guilty.

She crouched lower, hoping against all hope that he didn't see, or even more so, _smell_ her. She leafed through her abilities as the hunting party tried to find her trail.

Pyre sniffed again, really looking for a way to throw off the party without revealing any deception. He was the leader, so only he was allowed to use all his senses to track her, much like a hunting dog. He supplied each of them a nose cover for two reasons; one, because only he was supposed to use his sense of smell, and two, because it would make it easier on Jade to make her escape.

He continued to 'smell' when the wind changed direction, and he caught a familiar scent, a scent that brought women to his mind, and more importantly, a small increase in blood flow to his member. Heat, this was the scent of a woman in heat. Not just any woman either. Jade.

He had to think, but unfortunately, time was not on his side. If he stopped to think, one of the troopers might remove his nose cover and… No, he could not let that happen. There must be a way to get around it.

He caught a flash of something from the tree, and then off to his left, a good distance away, a large boom rang out into the trees. He quickly connected the dots, and knew _exactly_ where Jade was hiding. Before anyone could react, he started yelling, driving the group off toward the flash they were already eager to explore, he alone knowing that their eagerness was in vain.

Jade watched as Pyre looked in her direction for the briefest moment after the aura ball she'd conjured up had been lobbed off opposite the direction he'd looked, and then driving the crowd off in that direction. That one moment of eye contact was all she'd needed to understand. He'd known where she was hiding, and yet he had allowed her an opportunity to escape. She didn't ponder long, because there was no guarantee how much time her little distraction would provide, so she intended to make a much use of the small window of opportunity as possible. She leapt from branch to branch, getting further and further away from the party. Unfortunately, the nose cover on one of the hunters was a little loose, and he caught a scent that made him want women. He recognized that scent, and whooped to the others, pointing them back the other way and revealing the deceit that had been 'pulled' over Pyre's eyes. Although in his heart, Pyre was reluctant, he acted without pause to avoid any suspicion and urged the hunters onward toward the quarry. Though to the troops he was equally caught up in the thrill of the hunt, in his heart he was being torn to pieces between two different duties; to the village and to himself.

Meanwhile Jade heard the whoop of the hunter and this time swore out loud. Picking up the pace as much as she could, she tried to gain rather than lose distance between her and her pursuers. So she was surprised, as she was not paying attention to the trees in front of her, when she suddenly ran out of tree and fell to the ground. She landed, and heard a pop, feeling great pain. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain conscious and keep going. When she looked around, she recognized the clearing because of the large wood building in the center, a wood building that had a large silver lemniscates over the front door; the Temple of Infinity.

Her eyes brightened, salvation mere feet away, and she held her arm to her side as she quickly made her way up to the temple. The pain tore into her mind anew, but she continued to fight it, the noises of the approaching hunters providing ample reason to work through her suffering and keep moving. Much more slowly than before, she walked the distance, on a dirt path, up to the door of the temple. She looked over to the sun, and saw it start to brighten over the horizon. Dawn was upon her, and the first day of the hunt was almost over. Still, she didn't allow her confidence to over-rule her reason, because making a mistake like that so close to success could ruin her.

She went inside, and thanked Arceus for having the Priest of the Immortal Way be meditating at that point. She couldn't take the pain anymore, and she cried out to him.

"Help! Help me! I need help!" He instantly perked up, opening his eyes to see the poké-anthro Lucario crying for sanctuary. He bolted from the reed mat to her side, and tried to get his arm on her left shoulder, which caused her to wince. Taking her other shoulder, he guided her into the building, and set her down across from his mat.

Noticing how she held her arm, he tapped her shoulder lightly. She winced again, and he stroked his chin, "Okay, it's not too bad, it looks like you just popped your shoulder out of its joint. I'm going to try to put it back in place; do you want something to bite on?" She nodded, and like a magician he pulled a plank wrapped in cloth out of his robes. He placed it into her mouth, and she clamped down. Then he took her shoulder, wiggled it into a position, and with a sharp jab, it popped back into the socket. She bit down so hard on the plank that it split in her mouth, and she had to drop it so it wouldn't splinter in her jaws.

"Better?" She rolled her shoulder, the sharp pain reduced to a dull ache, "Yes, but right now I have a bigger problem." He was about to ask what it was when he sniffed the air, catching a scent that Jade had hoped he might not ask about. Not her lucky day, on that matter. "Are you… in heat?" She chewed her lip before nodding. Then he rapidly explained her situation to Hiora (who else?), not even pausing once for breath. After her rushed story, she took a few heavy breaths to get her energy back, as well as her strength, and Hiora stood there. When she stopped breathing heavy, she looked into his eyes, and saw both compassion and fury within their deep green depths. He saw her staring, and smiled, "You should stay here, and I'll keep you safe. So, how do you feel about living her until we can find somewhere better for you?"

She nodded, and he became grim, "Then I suggest you get behind me, I hear them coming. For now, I accept you here as a child of my own." Then he surprised her by kissing her forehead like a father would, and ushering her behind himself to better protect her. He stood on the reed mat, a good distance away from the door, and Jade wondered how he could protect her far from the doorway?

Her question was about to be answered, as she soon picked up the sound of their rapid footsteps, which brought another question to her mind. He said he had heard them coming, yet her own hearing was far more acute than any humans, and she only just heard them rushing for the temple, so how did he manage to hear them before she did? This question was pushed from her mind as the troop approached, and Hiora stood ready, prepared to protect his newly adopted daughter from the people that would do her harm…

/

/

/

**Ooh… cliffhanger! Ha, ha, ha. I suppose you think I'm an ass for taunting you with a cliffhanger at this point, but that will make you want the next chapter, now won't it? The next chapter in this arc will mark the midway point in the Survival of the Fittest set, and although I won't tell you how it or the third and final chapter will go, I will tell you the third involves a certain Ketchum, comma, Ash. Adios!**

**From the desk of,**

**Michael Antony Hunt, aka Nicki Fowl.**


	3. Ch 2: Survival of the Fittest, Part 2

**Chapter 2:**

Survival of the Fittest, Part 2

/

Hiora stood there, waiting for the ones who were chasing Jade to enter the sanctuary, keeping her behind his back, and trying to keep a level head, so he could effectively knock the jackass out of each of them.

He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes, waiting for them to arrive. He didn't have to wait long, because not three minutes after, the hunting party stormed their way in. Pyre led the group into the building, and spoke. "Priest of the Immortal Way, release the traitorous female that hides within your house of divines and devils, she belongs to us and we intend to punish her for her deeds. This does not concern you."

He responded first by opening his eyes, and staring at each of them in turn. Then he spoke, "I am afraid that you are wrong in the case of this not concerning me or my Temple of Infinity. The lady has claimed sanctuary within this sacred place, and I must provide it against those that would do her harm as is my duty as a caretaker of all life. Depart from your destructive path, for I have claimed her as a daughter of my own within this house of ever-living beings, and the wrath of you hunters holds no sway in this place. Leave here with your anger, let her go, she is not worth destroying yourselves. I know of the hunt ritual you call the rite of Survival of the Fittest, and since she is protected here, she has bested you in this ritual. I implore you, release yourselves from this aggressive and pointless exercise, or I will be forced to imprint my lesson on you and your group by planting my foot up your collective asses."

Pyre squirmed slightly when he heard this threat, and this delayed his action. So he was unprepared when one of the hunters stepped forward in his stead, "Fat chance of having that happen, you human freak! We are taking that traitorous whore where she belongs, the gallows, and if we have to get through you to do it, we fucking will, right men!"

The other hunters applauded their fellow for his speech, and Pyre was forced to coincide with it, "I'm afraid he's right. None of us can return until she is either taken back to be strung up, or our time runs out and she is freed from the rite. Forgive us for this, Priest Hiora. Men, prepare to take him down, and do not get cocky; this human has more than a few tricks up his sleeves!"

The men, eager for their first kill of a human, readied themselves for the assault, and some even licked their lips in anticipation, no doubt the scent of Jade in heat spurring their primal behavior. Despite Pyre's warning, however, they did indeed get cocky and started hooting at Hiora and taunting him with vulgar things, making fun of him.

Still, he remained stoic. It wasn't until one of the more rash and youthful hunters questioned if he fucked the girl pokèmon in their sleep that he reacted, his eyes bolting open and no longer their calming nature of green, but once more that demonic gray that instilled chills in the hunting party. His eyes actually seemed to be silver, almost glowing, but that was not what was important, what happened after however was.

Hiora laced his fingers together, and threw his palms outwards as if cracking his knuckles. Then he flipped his hands so they closed once more, with the knuckles pointed toward the crowd of hunters, and he murmured under his breath, "Hands of the land."

At first, like before with Manta, nothing happened in the slightest. Still, the entire group knew better than to mess with this man. There were stories about what happened when people tried to screw with him, horrid stories, and the figure who just caused him to react recalled one from his friend that he had watched happen to a guy called Manta not too long ago.

For a minute they waited, and waited, and waited, when it seemed that he was bluffing, Pyre stepped forward, only for his action to be the cause of both retribution and regret. He stepped, not out back toward the woods, but into the building.

With a smirk, Hiora pulled his hands to his chest, and suddenly two large hands that looked remarkably like his own sprang up from beneath the floorboards, catching them by surprise and rending holes into the wood. Now mimicking his earlier actions, the hands wrapped their earthy forms around the group, rendering them helpless, and pulled them across the floor to him, ripping large rents into the floorboards.

He stared Pyre in the eyes. "Well, now, look at the havoc you caused. Oh, don't give me that indignant look; you know for a fact that this is your fault. You forced me to defend myself and the pokèmon you insulted by daring to say I would rut with my own children, my own _family_ no less. Furthermore, I have given you ample warning beforehand, and you scoffed at it. So now, I will have to teach you all a lesson and _beat the hormones out of your fuck happy bodies_!"

With that, he pushed his hands away from himself and towards the door, and the earthen extremities complied, throwing the hunters out of the building before vanishing back unto their origins. Hiora cracked his neck, and managed to get over the distance between them with only a single step toward the group. He was like a big green flash, and seemed to resemble what Jade and everyone believed was one of two things. She spoke it in an undertone beneath her breath, "That man is either a rogue sage ninja, or a mortal _god_."

Indeed, he seemed to give off that impression as he waggled his finger at them like a parent to a naughty child. "Now, now, we can't let you get out of punishment _that_ easily, right? You have to pay for what it is you did. Now, even though you are hunting that poor female because she violated your laws by being with a human, and that I will probably never understand and confounds me to no end due to your roots, I refuse to allow any harm to pass her willingly, as I have made her a member of my family. In other words, if you think for a second that I will turn a blind eye and allow you to take her to be hanged," he moved up close, an aura of power beginning to form around him, "_then you are sorely mistaken and I promise you are about to receive the thrashing of ten lifetimes._"

Hiora then began delivering on his promise.

(_Tune: Boom by POD_)

Within the blink of an eye, he smashed the palms of his hands into two hunters, and moving like a graceful dancer, he used the momentum to flip-kick and plants his foot on Pyre's head. Not stopping, not even slowing down, he used Pyre to elevate himself into the air. He smiled from the high point, and landed in the middle of the group, delivering a spin kick on his hands. This only seemed to be a deterrent and to anger the enemies, which was apparently his plan, as he proceeded to take each on one at a time.

He assaulted them each individually, both swiftly and mercilessly, and it looked as if he attacked them three times at once. He swiftly dispatched half a dozen hunters, using a powerful charge attack; he threw three more into various kinds of foliage. After he finished the entire troop, he turned his gaze on Pyre, who had stood up. Hiora pointed at him, "You're not getting off, since you brought them here, you get the bulk of the payback."

He flashed over to him, threw him in the air, and proceeded to land combos all over him. One of the hunters got up and saw Pyre's dire situation, so he helped by trying to nail Hiora with arrows.

Bad move.

Moving like a whirlwind, Hiora overtook the hunter, only for another to start trying to pelt him. Pretty soon, all the hunters were trying to hit him with various projectiles. Trying to, because Hiora dodged them with ease, flowing like water through the arrows, aura spheres, and other items. He laughed, and spun like a top, bringing up a storm of dust and leaves. None of them could see well into the nature storm, and Hiora seemed to be even faster inside it, whirling around like a cyclone.

The dust storm soon wrapped itself around the entire hunting party, getting larger and larger until the whole group was inside it. Hiora acted, and launched another series of rapid fire attacks, nailing the hunters individually with what once again appeared to be three strikes at once. In less than a second, the deed was complete. He stopped moving, the dust storm falling apart, and revealing the chaos. He snapped his fingers.

(_End tune_)

Hiora picked up Pyre by the neck, "Now listen, you should be thankful that I immobilized each of them instead of putting them out of commission permanently, so here's what you are going to do. You are going to take your hunters, and leave, or I'm going to have to deal something a bit more permanent. _Are we clear_?"

Pyre nodded rapidly, very much scared by Hiora and his amazing powers. Hiora released his hands grip on Pyre, and took a deep breath, bringing his hands up, then down in an imitative motion of the path of inhaled air. He looked at Pyre, now much more calm, "Well, then, you and your troops better get going. I believe it is a few hours journey back, unless you would rather I guide you to a city or bring medication?"

Chilled by the concept of being taken to the humans, Pyre quickly shepherded his hunting party into a frantic retreat back into the trees.

Hiora smiled, and then he returned to Jade's side, "It's all right now, Jade, I took care of business, those assholes aren't coming back for a while." Then he turned his attention to the damaged wooden floor, his smile replaced with a scowl, "Great, damage to the floorboards, it could take a few days for the things to get repaired. I _really_ need to learn to control my temper. Although, maybe it doesn't have to take that long after all."

Hiora's hands became parallel to the floor, his palms facing downwards, and he raised them before bringing them back down in a mighty swing. In response, wood vines came up and started to weave in between the damaged areas, like needle and thread, making up for the lost timber. Soon the areas were completely covered, and it appeared as if the damage had never taken place.

Jade just stood, flabbergasted, as Hiora admired his work. He smiled at it, "Well, now that that's taken care of…" He turned to Jade, "Please close your mouth it isn't a home for homeless flies." She shook herself out of the stupor, "How, how did you do that?"

He placed his hands behind his back, "Did what, exactly?"  
>"How did you manage to fight like that, it looked like you hit them three different ways at once, and how did you fix the floor like that?"<br>"Ah, well, to answer your second question I will tell you at some point in the future, just not right now. As for the first one, I was in fact hitting them three times at once. It's a style of combat I developed specifically for ending a fight in a hurry. I call it Thousand Palm style. That technique I was using was the most basic of the moves it the repertoire for this art. I won't show you everything I can do, and not just with that art either, but I will tell you that jutsu isn't my only skill."

Then he looked down at her, _desirables_, and blushed, "Um, Jade, perhaps we should get you something to wear over your, rather, _private_ areas."

She didn't realize what he meant until he used his eyes to gesture down toward her hips, or more importantly, the lips between them. She blushed at the site of her breasts and woman hood exposed to the one who just rescued her, who happened to be human. (Now none of you can complain that I don't deal out fan service for my faithful readers [A/N]) "Well, perhaps first, instead of clothes, you should get cleaned up. You must want a bath after all that exercise with those men that were hunting you."

She nodded, and Hiora lead her deeper into the compound. He took her to a bathroom and guided her inside, closing the door behind her. He talked from outside the bathroom, "I would help you bathe in there, but since you're a woman and I'm a man, well, you get the idea."

He told her how to work the shower, and went off to get some clothes from a very large closet. He hadn't told her that most of his home was under the surface of the earth, or that it was rather massive.

Hiora opened the walk in closet, and started picking clothes. He guesstimated what sizes she was from his brief 'show'. He figured her about average size, and a D-cup, so all in all she was a regular, although busty, woman. He grabbed a few different kinds of clothes, not sure what ones she would prefer to wear, and headed back to the bathroom.

Hiora returned to find Jade out of the bathroom, and still a bit wet. As she dried, Hiora noted the shimmer the water produced on her fur, and the grace of her slender limbs. She had the towel wrapped over her chest, but when she leaned over to pick up the necklace that she dropped; Hiora had to avert his gaze or risk succumbing to a bloody nose. He handed her the pile of clothes while trying his best _to not get aroused_, and hoping she wouldn't notice if he did in any case.

She took the clothes and re-entered the bathroom, trying on the different outfits. He spoke at the door, "I tried to guess what size you were, so if they are ill fitting, please forgive me." He waited a little bit while she tried on the clothes, and when she left, he had to hold his nose to keep from bleeding all over the place.

Apparently, she wasn't a fan of frilly outfits, so she had picked a sleeveless black shirt and skinny blue jeans, with tennis-shoes and regular socks. The outfit made her chest more pronounced, and her hourglass figure stood out like blood in snow. All in all, it took every ounce of Hiora's will not to either jump her or get a nosebleed. He turned away to take a few deep breaths, his suppression training helping him cope with his hormones. He turned back with a smile, "Well then, you sure are quite the knockout. How about we go eat some dinner, since it is getting late, and then I'll show you to your room."

Mentally, however, he was engaged in an intense battle. He was doing his best to suppress the 'naughty' imagery that was filling his mind, reminding himself repeatedly that she was his daughter now, and incest wasn't exactly a very fatherly thing to do. The longer he spent in her presence, the less and less he felt the urge to pull her into the nearest bedroom and let out his 'little man' on her. Now, the urge to fuck her banished from his mind, he led her into the dining hall, enjoying her shocked expression when she saw it.

Despite its rather mediocre size (it wasn't much larger than a school cafeteria); she was shocked at the variety of pokémon in the room. Practically any from Oddish to Blaziken dined in there. It shocked her to see so many species living in one building. She even saw that some of them weren't pokémon, but poké-anthros. It was an amazing site. Hiora led her down to the tables and gave her a seat before sitting down next to her on her left side.

He started eating, breaking apart his chopsticks and giving a small prayer of thanks before digging in. She followed his steed. It took a bit to figure out how to work the chopsticks, but Hiora helped her learn. When she took her first bite of sushi, it made her eyes widen. It was amazing.

Hiora started to talk with the others, and though she didn't notice it at first, due to pokémon speak coming plain as English to her; she soon realized that this human could do the same. She decided that it would be something to bring up at a later date.

Hiora continued to speak, laughing at a joke a familiar Oshawatt told, and grabbing a drink. He reached a little too far, and grabbed a green paste instead. The Oshawatt, Jennifer, tried to tell him, but it was a little late when he swallowed the wasabi whole.

Oops.

Suddenly, he started to sweat, and he fanned his mouth. His face turning red and he tried to find a drink. He soon panicked, and looked frantically for something to cut the heat. Jade, seeing what was happening, quickly grabbed a bowl of dark colored liquid and yanked his mouth open, pouring it down his throat. He took a few deep breaths, the Oshawatt across from him laughing at his misfortune. Honestly, Jade giggled a bit at this. The mighty Hiora brought down by a little green paste. He panted, "Thank you, Jade. Good lord, I need to remember to distinguish between water and wasabi."

She was curious. "So, what is wasabi?" "It's a spicy food that is often served alongside sushi and it is eaten with it. I believe if I remember correctly, it is often used to kill any viruses in the sushi as you eat it. In small portions, it is very delicious."

Curious, she took a piece of sushi and dipped it lightly in the wasabi, getting only a small portion on the food. Popping it into her mouth, the spice of the wasabi was cut by the fish, and it tantalized her mouth. She smiled. Hiora then pointed to another bowl of the dark fluid she'd used to cool his burning mouth. "That there is called soy sauce. It is very salty, and also goes well with sushi and other Japanese dishes. You pour a small bit onto your food like so." He took the saucer and poured a small amount over his plate of sushi. Then he took a piece and ate it. She imitated him. It was even more delicious to her. "I take it you are a big fan of sushi?" She nodded, and then he smacked his head, "Oh, shoot, I forgot to introduce you to the others!"

She tried to stop him as he stood, and clapped, attempting to get attention in the din of the dining hall. Annoyed by the ignorance of his desires, he willed the wind around his hands a bit and clapped again, the sound now booming slightly throughout the hall, getting the attention of everyone. "Thank you. Now, everyone, I would like to introduce you to the latest member of our family. Her name is Jade." He gestured to his right, only for Jade to be sitting down trying to hide herself. "Don't be afraid, it's fine." Shyly, she stood, and Hiora introduced her, "Everyone, this is Jade. She is the newest of us, so I expect you to treat her with the same respect you treat both me with and your fellow family with. Now, that is all."

The crowd returned to their meals. Hiora sat down at the table once more and resumed his meal, that is until a Blaziken came over to their table. A poké-anthro wearing baggy ninja pants. He leaned on the table, "Hello, miss, how about you and I get to know each other?"

Hiora didn't even look up from his food, "Johnny, leave her alone, she isn't one of those horny women you adore hanging out with. For all you know, she might have popped the balls on the last guy who tried to flirt with her." Johnny looked at Hiora, "This doesn't concern you, Father Hiora, and this is a simple conversation between two civil people." Hiora still kept his attention on his food, "Well, you don't have to hit on her so hard. She just joined the family, so could you at least give her a day to get settled before you try and score?"

The Blaziken Johnny held up his hands, "Fine, fine, you win, Father Hiora." He looked at Jade again, "Come find me when you want to have some fun." Then he walked off. Hiora sighed in relief, "Thank goodness, I thought I might have to get involved with him." Jade was curious, "Why is he like that?"  
>"Are you talking about the penis that walks like a man?"<br>"Yes."  
>"This is him being normal. He's been like this ever since I let him watch Ghost Rider. It's his favorite movie."<br>"So how many times did he watch it?"  
>"Once."<br>"So it lit up his ego that much?"  
>"Yep."<p>

Jade felt a little odd about that. She already didn't like to share a home with horny people, and already knew what that was like. It sent a shiver crawling up her spine when she thought about it. She shook it off, it wouldn't do to think about that life any more, this was her life now, and she knew it.

She finished eating and followed Hiora to a small room. Inside was a closet full of clothes, a small chest for personal belongings, and a bed that fit her perfectly. She tested it with her hand before she jumped onto it, the softness of the feather mattress making her drowsiness much more pronounced than before. Hiora watched as she quickly descended into a deep slumber, and shut the door quietly behind him.

As he walked back to his mat at the building entrance, he felt a small tug in his chest. His eyes widened, and he flashed out in a puff of smoke. He appeared in a large crater, and that is where his pain grew.

He clutched his chest as an aura of dark fire consumed him. He crouched, the pain overwhelming his body. Eventually, the stress grew too much to contain, and as he threw his arms wide, he cried to the heavens three words, "CORRUPTIVE POWER WAVE!"

A pulse of pure dark energy exploded from his body, expanding until it filled the crater, resting like a golf ball on a tee. He hovered at the center of the orb, the explosion of power having weakened him. It pulsed once, destroying all matter within the dark ball, and then vanished as if nothing happened.

Hiora, weak from the exertion, flashed back to his mat before he passed out.

/

Jade woke with a yawn, stretching out her limbs on the feather bed. She lay there for a minute, relishing the comfort of the mattress, before a knock came at her door. She sighed, and changed out of her clothes. She put on a gray t-shirt with white long sleeves, and black jeans. After thinking for a second, she put her necklace back on around her neck. She stared at the ruby for a second before the knock came at the door for a second time, much louder. She went over to the door and answered it, not expecting who was there.

"Johnny?" The Blaziken smiled, "Yeah, it's me. Listen, I wanted to know if you were up for something today. Maybe we could go see a movie, or something, as friends. By the way, can I apologize for my mouth the other day? I couldn't help myself; you just looked so damn _hot_. Please forgive me."

She didn't know what to say to that. So, she forgave him. "You know, I think that it's okay. After seeing Hiora when I put my things on, I have a feeling that some of the other guys were having wet dreams about me."

Johnny laughed at that, "Yeah, they probably were! I talked to some of the other guys, and trust me; some of the things that they said made me feel like crawling into a ditch. Well, what do you want to do today?"

She thought for a moment, "Well, your sudden change in behavior is just too much. You're up to something. Spill it." He sighed, "Alright fine. One of my lady friends kicked my ass about how I was acting, and after some time, I realized that maybe I'm not quite the feathery Johnny Blaze I want to be. He's kind of my hero. So after a bit of time to myself, and a spiky foot in the place where the sun don't shine, I got an attitude adjustment. At least, I'm not quite all asshole anymore. So, want to go find some fun?"  
>"Tempting, but I'll pass. I think that Hiora was going to take me to the city today. Sorry."<p>

Physically, Johnny said that was fine, mentally, he was in the middle of seeing her get fucked hard when it shattered and he was cursing his luck, despite telling her the truth and everything. Some things don't change.

Jade closed the door, and then breathed a sigh of relief. She thought about that old adage that the truth will set you free, and believed that at least in some ways, it was true. She could see in his aura that he was less than an inch from wanting to jump her and hump her till his legs broke. Her back up against the door, she slid down until her butt made contact with the floor. She held herself, knowing in her heart that this would most definitely _not_ be the last time. Picking herself up, she went to eat some breakfast.

She got to the dining hall, grabbed some rolls and meat, and started to eat. As she ate her breakfast, she noticed that Hiora wasn't there. She talked to Jennifer, who told her that he often ate breakfast outside in the training field. After finishing, she asked around, trying to find someone to show her to the training field. Eventually, a Snivy named Grace agreed to take her there, needing to get some exercise in anyway. She thanked her, and together they went up to the training field.

/

They got there, and saw that he was in the middle of something. Grace brightened, and she got Jade to sit down on one of the benches to "Watch the master at work." Her curiosity aroused, she sat down and watched.

Hiora stood in the middle of a dirt circle, hands together, waiting patiently for something. Then all of a sudden, what he was waiting for came whistling out of the trees, an enormous wooden log headed straight for him!

Jade got up to warn him, but Grace stopped her, telling her to look. When she did, what she saw amazed her.

Hiora waited until the last second, and then thrust his palm at the log, stopping it where it made contact. Another log zoomed from the trees, and met a similar fate. The logs started to come faster, and he blocked every one. Then, as a grand finale of sorts, a log descended from the heavens with the intent to crush his skull, and he shattered it, not by hitting it with an open palm, but with a closed fist.

Hiora was relishing the exercise, when he heard clapping. He turned swiftly to see Jade's clapping from the benches, and the Snivy Grace waving for his attention. He waved back, only to get a log to the face. He flew a bit, and Jade gasped, feeling at fault for distracting him. They raced over to Hiora, hoping to help him, only to see that he didn't need help. He got up, dusted himself off, and looked at them. "Can you just ignore that last bit?"

Jade nodded while Grace cocked her head to the side, debating it for a second. Hiora looked at her, and knew what she was thinking. It wasn't often they saw him like this. Then she nodded, and he sighed. He talked to Grace, "I take that your being here means that the experiment was finished?" Grace nodded, "Yes. The test results have come. You would like to be given them now or wait until I can give you a full report?"  
>"I'll wait; I have other things to attend to before getting back to the project."<p>

Grace bowed and left. "What was that about?"  
>"Oh, don't worry about that. I happen to be a scientist, so some of the scientifically inclined residents here help with my experiments. So, what is it you wanted to see me about Jade?"<br>"Weren't you going to take me over to the city?"  
>"Oh, right! Well, then, would you like to go there now?"<p>

She nodded. "Alright then. First I have a few things to take care of before we go. Would you wait while I take care of them?" She nodded again, "Fantastic, meet me at the front of the Infinity Temple and we'll head out.

She bowed before leaving, thinking back to when he'd stood between the hunters and her. That Hiora had a fine aura, and he had so much charisma, and such a big heart, that she couldn't help but think of him as a father, ironic since she hadn't had one growing up except maybe the Grand Master, but even that was only because he'd comforted her after-

She shook her head, that was _then_, this is _now_, and they weren't apart of her life anymore. She still couldn't help thinking about Pyre. He'd known, and tried to help her get out, a lot of times he'd even gave her a shoulder to cry on, and the only time he'd been mean to her was after they had drank that stupid _rum_! He'd even tried to cut himself after that when she refused to forgive him. The past came back to her, and she let it come this time. It may be the past, but her past made her present, which in turn wove her future. She sat down on Hiora's reed mat, crying. He actually was the only one who cared up until she'd been convicted of treason. She thought, and realized that he might have believed that she'd chosen the enemy over him. He didn't forgive her for that, but yet he'd helped her escape. She tried to decipher him as she waited for Hiora.

Hiora waved to her as she left, and when she was out of site, he let his weariness show. He appeared to gain half a century in age within a few minutes. His eyes were not quite so bright, and he felt as if he'd lived over three millennia instead of three decades. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand, walking inside and using an elevator to access a basement floor below the basement floor, a secret level known only to a select few residents. He changed out of his robe and into a white lab coat, hanging his robe in a hook inside the elevator. He stepped out to the scene of various pokémon moving about like so many worker ants. The Snivy Grace came over to Hiora right as he set foot in the lab, and began to inform him, his mind already settling into the grooves of an older age than his own…

Jade sat, waiting patiently for Hiora, her thoughts now clear. She had decided that she would make it up to Pyre as soon as she could, right after he'd been released from the hunt, and her life wasn't what he was after. She went into a crossed legged meditative position, concentrating on taming her wild emotions. Her heat had ended the other day, and now she could look at a man without wanting to get herself knocked up. Not that some guys still didn't give her dirty thoughts, she just preferred to have the man she was going to fuck the night away with to be _him_. The man. The one, the guy that was going to be hers until death took them and then beyond that.

As she sat there meditating, Hiora too the opportunity to come in, and noticed her on the mat. "Jade, in deep thought?" She opened her eyes wide when she heard his voice and bolted off the mat. "Hiora! I-I didn't mean to use your mat! I was just thinking!"  
>"You were thinking about your past, and about Pyre, weren't you?"<br>"How did you guess?"  
>"Well, considering that they were the most recent event in your life, and threatened to be the last event in your life, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Oh, that and I can read minds."<br>"You know, that would have come in handy to know when you 'adopted' me."

Hiora laughed, "I'm just joking Jade. I can't read minds. I don't think that anyone really can, they just read impressions, which I also can't do. So your mind is safe from me, provided what you're thinking isn't too obvious. So, are you ready to go?"

She nodded. He took her by the shoulder and brought her to a car parked on a road about a quarter mile away on a road. "Why so far away? Wouldn't it be easier to pave a road to your place?"  
>"Well, two reasons, one is because that would be unnecessary damage to nature, and I'm already not a fan of all the hypocritical people 'going green' out there. (Consider this my shoutout to Foamy the Squirrel) Two is the fact that a little extra effort won't hurt you if you can afford to spend it, and I know I can afford to spend it. Also, I'm not a big fan of cars, but I will use one when necessary."<br>"That makes sense."

He held open the passenger side door for Jade before getting into the drivers seat, pulling his keys out of the sleeve of his robe. She wanted to ask how he managed to keep so many tricks up his sleeves (pun intended), but decided against it. That was something for bothering about at a later date. Right now, she stuck her head out the window, watching the world fly by, and enjoying the convenience of the modern motorway. The wind whipped her dreadlocks, blowing in her face and surprising her by how powerful it was. She let the car take her away, away from the home she knew, away from the forest she'd lived in, and to the city she'd always wanted to see up close…

Hiora watched as Jade watched the world from outside the window, amazed by the speed of the car. He smiled, making sure to watch the road in front of him. He looked at the sign for the nearest city. Two miles, it wasn't that far, so he knew that it wouldn't take too long to do what he needed to. As he approached the city, he laid down the rules for while they were in the city. "Jade, the people here might be a smidge more tolerant of people like you than in villages, but there are plenty of people that will take advantage of you, so you will need to listen to me on how to behave in the city. Do you understand."  
>"Yes, <em>dad<em>."

"Good. Now, first of all, we need to stay close. I do not doubt your survival skills, but the people here do not play fair, so we have to watch each others backs. I never come to the city alone."

She perked up. Hiora didn't ever come to the city alone, so he was full aware that the city could kick his ass. Translation: unless she paid attention, she wouldn't stand a chance. "Listening now, are we? Now then, the next thing you need to know is that if you ever get lost, there are people to turn to if you can't find me. If this becomes the case, look for people in blue, most likely with Growlithes by their side. They are the police. They enforce the law. They will also keep you safe until I can come get you." She nodded, now etching these rules into her brain. "The most important thing you need to know is that you are not considered equal to everyone here. This is important; you have to watch where you go and what you say around people. If you are attacked you have the right to defend yourself, but that is one of the very few things going for you. So don't _ever_ get into a fight if you can avoid it, because people have a habit of twisting things around to benefit themselves. Do you understand all of this?"  
>"Yes, I understand perfectly."<br>"Then tell me the rules that I told you."

He turned to face her while they waited to get in. "Stay close by. If I get lost and/or lose you, find the police. Above all, do not fight unless absolutely necessary." He grinned, "Good. Now I have some errands to run. I need to stock up on food, and gather some scientific supplies, and pick up some gear from the lab…"

As he reviewed what he needed to purchase, Jade took a look at the bed of a baby blue truck. Considering how big it was, and what Hiora needed to buy (… and grab some stuff to repair the training grounds, and get my hands on some more medicinal herbs, and grab some regular medicines while I'm at it…), she wasn't believing that this would be a small trip. Meaning she might get to really explore the city. As she leaned her arm out the window, a white skinned man and a black skinned man walked up to Hiora's truck as they waited in line. The white man grabbed Jade's wrist, "Hey, sugar, how about spending some time with me tonight. You're old enough to drink, right?" The black guy hung his head, "Nah, man, you got to have some _pizzazz_, a little _style_, you can't ask to fuck her just out of the blue. You have to have a little _grace_."

To emphasize his point, the black man walked up to Jade and leaned on the truck, "I'm sorry about my friend there, how about we talk about this outside the truck?" The white guy elbowed him, "Ooh, yeah, _real_ smooth. You are about as slick as a piece of shit, you know that?"  
>"Hey! Try to have some class in front of a lady."<br>"Like she gives a damn. She's an anthro, probably a horny fuck machine. I bet she doesn't even talk!"

The black guy had obviously had enough, "Look, I'm not gonna sit around here listening to you degrade someone with obviously a bit more control than you. I'm out."  
>"Alright, see ya Brock."<p>

Then the black man, Brock, left. The white guy still tried to score, but know he was a bit ruder, "So come on, come with me for some real slutty fun, seems like your kind of thing, anyway." Jade had had enough of this walking erection, "I have yet to open my legs for _anyone_, you dick-for-brains, so go get bent."

The white guy didn't take too kindly to that, "Hey, since when do you get to say anything, anyway? Get out of the fucking car!" He grabbed her wrist.

Big mistake.

He saw Hiora in the driver's seat, or rather, he saw his silver eyes looking right at him conveying the message, "You try to pull her out of this car and I'm going you pull you into it and you do _not_ want that to happen." He promptly let her go. "Fine. I'll see you later then, missy."

He left before Hiora or Jade could react to his statement. _'Missy?'_ They silently fumed about that for slightly different reasons as they sat in the line. They got to the front and Hiora paid the gate fee, the guard opening the gate and bidding them both a good day. _'Day's been fine up till now,'_ they thought simultaneously.

Hiora pulled his car forward, and Jade went from pissed off to pleasantly shocked in a matter of seconds. Ever since the walls had been erected around the cities for the war, she'd wanted to see the city with her own two eyes, and now she was, in all its modern glory.

Hiora, however, being used to the intimidating presence of the city world, was still thinking, but now he'd gone back to his list. (… and I need to get some more batteries, and I should probably work out a check up for Jade, come to think of it…) Jade just enjoyed listening to the sounds of the city world. As Hiora pulled up to a hardware store, she continued to watch the world around her.

Hiora got out of the car, and let Jade out of the passenger seat. "Try not to say anything in the city unless you have to. That white trash was a perfect example of how dangerous the city is." She nodded, staying close to Hiora but not too close to where people thought they were dating or anything like that. He led her to the storefront, and was about to go inside, when the store clerk waved for his attention and pointed to the window. He looked and saw a sign that said "No anthros allowed" which made his blood pressure rise a bit, but he took a breath and calmed down, turning to Jade, "Jade, there's been a change in plans. Apparently this store is no longer anthro friendly, so you will have to wait in the car while I get my purchases, okay?"

She simply got back in the car and locked it, making sure that no one could get inside until Hiora got back. She leaned against the seat and decided to take a small nap while Hiora did his shopping (Let's see… should I buy this 32 pack or the 48 pack that's slightly less but not as strong?). She waited for a few minutes and started to get bored. Eventually Hiora came out carrying two large crates on a dolly, loading them into the back of the truck before getting back in the drivers seat. He looked angry, "That jerk! Trying to lob on an 'anthro caretaker' tax when I know perfectly well that no such charge exists! The nerve of that guy! If he ever meets me in a dark alley, I swear that not even his mother would recognize his ass! I'm sorry Jade, this store used to be a great place, but now someone obviously wanted to change who they support! Now how about we go do something fun to make up for it?"

She smiled and agreed, so Hiora set off for the nearest arcade. He had about thirty dollars in excess money he had brought with him, ten of which he added just in case something like this ever happened. He found one that he knew very well, because it was an underground supporter, so he took Jade there to have a little fun. He went to the entrance only to be stopped by a bouncer. "I'm sorry sir, this is a private establishment, and you and your friend will have to leave." Jade looked upset, but Hiora just smiled, "I walk with the guardians of nature, breathing life into that which is lifeless." The bouncer responded, "I see all that which is unseen and seen, weaving the story of life wherever I walk." Then together, "I walk in eternity, for I am Arceus, the creator." The bouncer lifted the rope, "Please come in. I will need your names, however, as I need to inform the boss of your arrival." "This here is my daughter Jade, and as for me, you can just tell him an old friend decided to stop by for a while." The bouncer nodded, allowing them to pass and radioing the information into his lapel mike.

Jade followed Hiora, about to ask why the bouncer was talking into a button on his jacket, and what that little poem was about, but her mouth was to busy dragging its jaw on the floor when she walked in and saw what this place had to offer. Wall to wall, devices of all sorts were spread around the building. Everything from Tetris to 3-D roller coaster simulators to even an in door golf course. She hadn't notice that they had descended into a basement, because she was still gaping at all of the contraptions before her. Hiora simply turned around, spread his arms wide, and asked, "What do you want to try first?"

They played for at least three hours, doing DDR, virtual and real golf, shooting, boxing, and basically trying every kind of game this place had to offer. She was having a blast, and her laughing made Hiora happy. Just like with all the other children back at the temple, her happiness gave him happiness in return, like father and daughter, and as she tried to beat his high score in pinball, he couldn't help but want to find her someone to love her as much as he did, and to give her a great home in the city, while still keeping her safe from all the dangers.

When Hiora checked his watch, he noticed the time. He got her attention, "Hey, Jade, are you happy?" She nodded, "Good. I still have some other things to do, so do you want to wait her while I do them?" He couldn't help but enjoy how big her eyes got when he said that. It made him laugh. "I'll take that as a yes." He turned to leave when a voice caught his attention, "Hey! Don't think you're going to leave without saying hello to me, Hiora!"

He looked behind him to see a white blond, not the man from before, wearing a black suit come over to him. He smiled at him, "Gerald! How are you!  
>"Oh, fantastic! I still haven't thanked you properly for giving the start on this place!"<br>"It was nothing, Gerry, nothing."  
>"Nothing? This would still be a pipe dream if you hadn't driven off the competitors, and given me the money, <em>and<em> need I remind you that you saving my life while this was still in the proto stage? So what are you doing here?"  
>"I was just showing my newest daughter Jade a good time."<br>"Would that be this cutie here?"

Jade waved while holding cotton candy. "Hi." She backed away when he reached his hand to her. "Oh, don't be afraid of me, hon, I'm a big friend to the poké-anthros, hell, my wife is an Arcanine, so have nothing to fear from me. Well, except maybe my sharp tongue when I drink a bit, but that's only if someone pisses me off. Just ask Christine." He shook her hand, and looked over to the stairs, "Speak of the devil, hear she is now!"

Jade turned around to see the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. She wore a suit like her husband, but it really accentuated her curves. Her bushy tail swished behind her as she descended with three secret service looking guards, the onyx-black stilettos almost clicking on the carpet flooring. Her right hand bore a gold band and she walked over as if she was a supermodel, which, if Jade could judge at all by her aura and the way she moved, was what she was. She had a kind face and a loving persona, and when she reached Gerald, she kissed him gently, and Jade couldn't help but notice the slight jealousy in Hiora's aura. Christine spoke up, "Were you just talking about me?"  
>"Yeah, I was just telling Hiora here and his newest daughter Jade about you."<p>

Christine shook Jade's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet a fellow anthro. I must say, your fashion sense is great. Did you ever think about going into modeling?" Jade shook her head, "You should. You have some great legs, and that busty chest is too good to waste." Gerald eyed his wife, "Now, Christy, _please_ don't tell me you got back into your old habits again. I love you, but I don't' know if I could compete with partners like _those_, or even if I _want_ to." Christy gave him a playful shove, "Oh, relax. I was just complementing her. I got over that phase years ago, ever since I met you I haven't thought that way about a girl. You've kind of kept my attention better than any lady could. Now Hiora," he bowed to Christy, kissing her hand in a gentlemanly manner, "my husband told me many things about you. A lot of them really good things, but not that you were a flirt."  
>"I'm not; I just find that the old ways of treating women, except for what was rather sexist, are fine ways to behave around the fairer sex. After all, that is how I was raised."<br>"Well, well, smart _and_ a gentleman, that's a rare combination. I also know how brave you are, if what half of what my husband says is true, you're the reason he's alive and we have a baby on the way."

That last bit of information was a surprise to everyone there, "Christine, you're pregnant?"  
>"Consider it an early present, from me to you."<p>

Hiora congratulated his friend, "Good for you, Gerry, didn't you always want kids?" They kissed again. Hiora proceeded to give Jade some money to pay for the games, but Christine stopped him, "What are you doing, Hiora?"  
>"I'm giving her some change to pay for what she wants to do." Gerald shook his finger, "Oh, no, after all you've done for us, I don't need my debt to get any bigger to you than it already is. Take these." He handed them two green cards, and Hiora tried to turn him down, "No, I couldn't possibly take this. Making you two happy is all the payment I ever need, you know that." Gerald persisted, "I refuse to have as close a friend as you pay for any of the things here. I insist." Hiora took the card reluctantly. Christine explained, "These are two new cards of the new membership Gerald and I formed, a monthly fined group that has unlimited access to everything, and these are on the house permanently." After learning that, he tried to return the card, "I can't do this to you. It's too much."<br>"No! You saved my husbands life, and even he agrees with me that we both owe you more than we could ever repay."

Jade asked what the cards were, "We haven't actually came up with a name for the cards yet. But, I think that your name might provide a good title. Christine, how about we call it the Jade membership." She clapped, "Yes! Jade cards! That's perfect! Oh, now you to simply _must_ take them, you solved another problem for us, and after all Jade, it's named after you!"

Hiora placed the card reluctantly in his wallet, and Jade simply stared at it. He noticed the look on her face, "Ooh, boy, Gerry, you and Christy here might have just created a monster. This was her first time here, so now I think we all are going to come to regret this." Christine simply smiled at him, "Well, then, since it's her first time, why don't I give her a tour while you two old friends get caught up. C'mon, Jade, I have a feeling you've only scratched the surface of what we have to offer. Have you ever tried ice cream?"

As Christine took Jade deep into the 'arcade', Gerald talked with Hiora, "So, she's the latest rescue in your one man crusade for the poké-anthros, huh?"  
>"Yep, I saved her from some people from her own clan trying to hunt her down, and from what I guess; she had been hunted for talking to humans. She's lucky to have found me."<br>"So she used that old writ of Survival of the Fittest?"  
>"How should I know, you're the guy who does that kind of research!"<p>

Gerald cocked his eyebrow, "Okay, okay, you got me. I knew it for a fact because she had that red ruby necklace around her throat. You saw it, right?"  
>"Yeah, and I honestly don't know why she doesn't take it off."<br>"I have a theory, but I want to keep it to myself. Can you do a favor for me and take care of her while I go do some shopping?"

Gerald nodded, "Sure man. It's the least I could do. Hell, I could send you everything you'd ever need if you'd give me the chance!"  
>"You know as well as I do why I can't let you do that. What I'm working on is too sensitive for me to show favoritism to a specific organization. As long as I appear to be neutral to <em>every<em> big business, then no one will send troops after me to try to take my research. Do I need to remind you of the Johto army slaughter I had to participate in?"

Gerald fingered the bridge of his nose, "Okay, okay, you have a point. Why won't you tell me what went on back then."  
>"Because I already lived it once, I don't want to live it again."<br>"Fair enough. The war I participated in showed me how big a jackass the modern person can be, especially if you give them enough power."  
>"I have to go, keep her safe, alright?"<br>"Alright. Go get what you need, and if I can help in any way, feel free to tell me."  
>"I will. And let me know when your baby is born. I want to see the little kids."<br>"You mean kid."  
>"Yeah, kid, sorry, slip of the tongue."<p>

As Hiora quickly retreated, Gerald pondered that 'slip of the tongue' that he'd let out. It was a little too obvious for him. But he let it go, because he'd learned that dwelling on the many thoughts and actions of his friend would serve to give him nothing but a giant headache.

/

Jade was whipping Christine's ass, and she knew it. After a three round session of DDR, two full games of Time Crisis, and a short stop at the bar for her first hot dog, Christine sat down while Jade continued to explore the amazing world of games. Gerald saw his wife stretched out on a couch in the membership lounge, watching Jade go nuts. He sat down next to her, and she laid her head in his lap, purring silently as he stroked her hair. He took a look at her belly, and noticed the slight roundness of it, only visible if you knew the cause. He looked her in the eye, "So, what are we going to name our child?" She thought, "I think that Deuce would be good."  
>"What if it's a girl?"<br>"Well, why don't you pick the girl name?"

He thought, really wanting to pick a good one. Then he looked at Jade, and it struck him. "I think that Pearl would be a good fit. How about you?"  
>"Pearl, yes that's a beautiful girl's name." They kissed again. Then he looked back at Jade, "I take it that Jade tired you out?"<br>"I swear that girl is like a kid in a candy store."  
>"Well, to be honest, she kind of is right now. She's never had stuff like this. I probably don't doubt they had video games, but this a new experience. This will probably be a good experience for when we have to deal with this with our little one."<p>

He nuzzled her hair. Jade took no notice of any of this, too enthralled by all of the amazing games before her. Then Gerald called her name. "We're going back to our bedroom for a bit. So you just stay here and have a blast, okay?"

Jade nodded briefly before going back to blasting people out of the sky. It helped that the game was about shooting anti-anthro people. Christine looked at Gerald with bedroom eyes, and they walked away, Gerald fingering her butt as they went to their bedroom for some privacy.

Of course, it only takes a few minutes for all hell to screw you over.

One of the hunters had found the white boy from earlier wandering through Lucario territory. He held him at spear point. "Halt, human! This is anthro territory! Turn back! We are in a search for a girl named Jade." The name struck a nerve on the boy. "What do you want with that bitch?" The hunter perked, "You know where she is? Tell me! We have to kill her for betraying humans! If you don't, I will be forced to torture you for the information!"

He held up his hands, "Whoa, whoa, easy! I intend fully to help you, but you have to trust me!"  
>"We do not trust the traitorous human <em>filth<em> trying to kill us. Speak your name, furless, you are going to meet the Grand Master."

He smirked, "My name isn't that important. What's important is you getting together your hunter buds and meeting me at the city wall. I happen to know a few places that that little shit Hiora will go to, and if we're lucky, that Jade is going to be easy to grab. No one tells me to get bent, _nobody_…"

After a while, the white blond boy was pointing out an arcade with a bouncer to Pyre, "See! That blue truck there is Hiora's! All you have to do is get passed the bouncer there and then help me in; I can get you into the basement level where she's probably hidden. Honest!"

Pyre doubted the boy's honesty, "Listen, if you're trying to trick us, or protect her in any way, the first one to run you through will be me, and I promise you it won't be something sharp." The boy gulped. "That's f-fine, as long as I get to have my way with her first." Pyre then told the boy to go distract the guard while he climbed on the roof.

The boy did as he was told, watching Pyre out of the corner of his eye as he managed to use amazing acrobatics to scale the building. He walked over to the bouncer, "Sorry pal. This is a private place. You'll have to go." He smiled evilly, "Well, that's fine, but can I ask you something first?"  
>"Fine, what?"<br>"Are you spear-proof?"  
>"What—"<br>"NOW!"

Pyre dropped from the roof like a ninja, landing around the man's neck and holding him by the head, using his spear to stun him, which he threw away as it broke and twisted the mans head so it snapped, spinning it all the way backwards as he flipped off, landing delicately as he drew another spear. He mourned the fact that he killed someone most likely innocent, just doing his job, but he did not show it as he made the other hunters watch the boy, leading the way inside.

He walked in and looked at the boy, "Alright, boy, where is she?"  
>"She's most likely down the stairs in some sort of VIP lounge, probably masturbating to Linkin Park." Half the group, including Pyre, nearly winced at how casually he mentioned that. It was a testament to how wicked a man, or a hormone-crazed teen, could be.<p>

He walked down the stairs, moving quietly and looking around each corner. He saw the enormous building at the bottom of the steps, probably not even six feet under, which cause him to laugh when he remembered that the name on the front of the building was in fact 'Six Feet Under Arcade and Bar'. He laughed quietly, not wanting to disturb any of the other people down here, as he sheathed his spear. The others did the same. They walked in, the crowds giving them a wide berth, and then he saw it. A glass room cordoned off by a door with the letters VIP on it, and Jade inside. With regret in his heart, he motioned for the boy, "Alright, you were telling the truth, and you held up your end of the bargain. When we get out of here, and _only_ if nothing suspicious happens, then you get your part of the deal."

The boy rubbed his hands greedily, making a slight chill crawl down Pyre's spine. Pyre coordinated the other hunters to surround the doorway, avoiding being spied from beyond the glass, and he walked up, noticing the scanner by the door. He turned to the white boy for an explanation, "It's a card scanner. You need a membership card of some sort in order to open the door. Or you could do this."

The white boy pulled a card attached to a small palm pocket sized computer by a flat wide multi-colored wire out of a suitcase he'd insisted on bringing with him. "I saw this in Terminator once and it gave me the desire to want to figure it out so I could try it." He stuck the card in the slot, and started up the computer. He explained what he was up to, "Since this has a number pad, I figure that I can hack the scanner for the last code entered, re-enter it, and then essentially fake my way into the door using information already entered in the device." After a few moments, a low beep was heard and information flared on his device. "Damn! The last code was erased! So this is useless! There is now only one viable option I can think of. We have to get a card and use it on the door. It will let us bypass using the number pad and let us in." Pyre was getting annoyed very quickly, "Or we could do this."

He pushed the boy out of the way and used the blade of a folding knife strapped to his hip to slash the device in the card scanner. The device let loose a light short beep before letting loose the same beep from before. Frustrated, he stabbed the number pad, causing the door to slide apart. "Wow, I never thought that would really work in a million years." Pyre smiled, "The thing about technology is if you can strike it just right with something metal, you can mess with the circuitry causing the wires to cross, shorting out the old program if done properly and bypassing any security protocols."  
>"I <em>do<em> know when someone is trying to bullshit me; you do get that, right?"

Pyre growled, "You aren't the only techno-savvy wise-ass around here." He went inside with the others and they surrounded Jade.

Jade didn't notice until Pyre grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around. She noticed the hunting party, "How did you all get in here!" The white boy stepped forward, "Hey, don't forget the deal! I get my hands on her first before handing her over to you!" She saw him, "_You!_ You're the walking erection from earlier!" He smiled, "I see you remember me. You are a little slutty shit, you know that? At least, you will be when I'm done. I'm going to fuck you so hard, you'll never forget me. Not even as the rope that's going to snap that pretty little neck of yours is being lowered around it and the floor beneath you is pulled away. You are _mine_. Let's go, we probably don't have much time before police arrive."

One of the hunters tied a gag around her mouth as they dragged her out. Some people noticed, and reached for cellphones, only to stop when they see the weaponry on the hunters. She watched as the hunters carried her out like a prized bird.

Once they were out of there, it had grown dark, the hunters had to hurry. Pyre turned to the boy, "Alright, our deal is done. Now, do not kill her, we need to have that happen when we hang her for the entire village to see." He grinned, his eyes raping her body already in his mind, "I get that. I won't kill her, but I might make her bleed a little. You could live with that. No, don't answer that, you don't need what I'm going to do in that head of yours."

He dragged her to an alley, wanting privacy for what he was about to do to her. He licked his lips, anticipating what Jade feared. He proceeded to use his belt to lash her legs down, pulling her pants to her ankles. He felt the tension in his pants and scrambled for the zipper, watching her squirms and struggles to get free. He simply grinned at her with that evil smile of his. "Squirm all you want, Jade, you're mine now, and I intend to take you, whether by force or by your own will. NO one is going to help you now."

Strong words for a wimp.

She bit through her gag, finally able to get a scream out, and she took a deep breath, only for him to cover it with his own mouth. She tried to fight his kiss, but the longer he held on, the more he fondled her, and the harder it was to keep herself scared for what he was about to do. She could feel him trying to get her wet, and she fought her basest urge to mate with the teen before her. She couldn't stop a moan from passing through her lips. He heard it, "Damn, this is gonna be easier than I thought. Now relax, this might hurt, but I promise that will only increase the pleasure."

By now, his penis was pressing against her sex, making her want to push him away and push him inside at the same time. When she realized that he'd stopped kissing her to watch himself, she let out a scream for help. He quickly cut it off by planting another one on her mouth, but not before he started to shake with rage. He raised his hand to hit her, and she tensed, anticipating the sting of the slap.

The slap never came.

He lowered his hand, deciding instead to torture her with his sperm, and he got ready to start the pushing, when a leaf came out of nowhere spinning at him and cut off the end of his penis, performing a quick and rather painful circumcision.

That's when he screamed.

She quickly used her hands to push him away right as she heard someone yell, "Pikachu, thunderbolt!"  
>"Pi…ka…CHUUU!"<p>

A bolt of yellow electricity raced forward and hit the boy, shocking him better than any tazer. Then she heard the voice again, "Bayleef, return!"

When she looked at her savior, she saw a teen wearing a blue flak jacket and a red hat with a creative green 'p' on the front. He held out a hand wearing a fingerless glove, after he came over his embarrassment and she pulled her clothes up to cover her genitals, "Are you okay?" She backed away, and he crouched down, keeping his hand stretched out, and looking her in the eyes, "its okay, I'm not here to hurt you. I'll introduce myself."

"My name is Ash Ketchum."

**Dun, dun, dun! Yes folks, the great Ash Ketchum has made his debut in my story like I promised. Plus, the next chapter will detail just how he managed to come to her heroic rescue. This does not mean that the story will be happy. I'm going to borrow a quote from Manta to describe life for this story, "Life's not all Butterfrees and honeybees, it's full of cold, hard, **_**shit**_**." So expect some serious ass-kick delivered express to our heroes.  
>Ash: Aw, really, I don't need a size 32 boot up my ass right now.<br>Jade: Besides, that ass belongs to me in a few chapters!  
>M.H.: Hey, that's not till later in the story! Don't give anything away!<br>Ash: Too late.  
>M.H.: Well just for that, how about a size 56 steel toe?<br>Ash and Jade: O.o  
>M.H.: That's what I thought. Well, till next time, remember; when in doubt, follow the shadows.<strong>


	4. Ch 3: Survival of the Fittest, Part 3

**Chapter 3**

Survival of the Fittest, Part 3

/

/

/

There are many people out there who are capable of doing the right thing. They are unable to see or handle suffering. They have the equipment or the skills to protect or rescue. They have virtuous hearts, kind souls, great love, etc. In short, they are like Hiora.

Ash Ketchum, at least unfortunately in his mind, was one such person.

This teen, this seventeen year old pokémon trainer, had been through hell a dozen times and back again. He'd been risking his life all for the sake of friendship, pokémon, and the general good of the people. He was a kid that didn't swear, didn't smoke, didn't drink, a general goody-two shoes.

At least that's what you'd expect if the Pokémon TV show was anything to go by.

The honest truth, he's still a hero, but not quite the kid the show makes him out to be. He drinks booze, flips the bird, can be pissy, and is generally a regular teen. That's not to say the show didn't tell about some of the good things he has. He loves pokémon, he has a good heart, enjoys adventure, and all that jazz, he's just not quite the goody two-shoes people think he is. He once tried to get a tattoo, but didn't have the cash.

Ash was a regular person, but when he learned about the TV show, it would be understated that the words that flew out of his mouth would never even be implied in the show. He looked like, according to what he said, "Some cum sucking pussy that didn't have the slightest clue how the real world worked, and how it shit on you in the end."

Still, he lived honestly. He hadn't tried drinking until the age limit had been lowered. He paid his debts, he was kind, he didn't cuss around little children or use those products around them, he avoided strip clubs, he didn't break the law, and he _certainly_ didn't mistreat people.

But the truth of the matter, still, is that the show 'kiddie-fied' his life story.

For example, they didn't mention the fact that his mom was a card shark. She could deal with the best of them. That was the trade she'd picked up to afford everything. It also didn't mention that Gary was a horn dog. That boy couldn't look at a woman without doing a mental strip down. Sometimes, in his sleep, he'd even do a play by play. Eugh.

In fact, there were a lot of things that that show 'forgot' about. He could ramble off a list of things that, if you heard him, you'd probably never be able to watch the show again without thinking about them. He had had to work with Pikachu, regardless of saving his life, to get him to trust him. He had dated Misty for a few months, and she was part Milotic. He'd nearly lost his head half the time when fighting due to stray shots. Brock didn't ogle in public. Dawn hated his guts. May had died in a plane crash. Professor Oak was as big a horn dog as his grandson. Plus, he'd nearly been (and in some instances had been) raped, shot, burned, starved, dehydrated, drowned, possessed, impregnated (don't ask), enslaved, bought, sold, gift wrapped, turned into a whore, turned into a pervert, turned into a _perverted_ whore, made into an anthro, employed by criminals (guess which), mentally scarred, tricked into a strap on (shut up), and made a pokémon's mate for life.

It is a good assumption, although needless to say, that Ash had been through hell. A lot of people would most likely say, "Fuck it!" and go into a more calm occupation, like maybe breeding. Of course, it was all of this that made Ash keep going in the first place. Something about, "The thrill of being able to have your ass handed to you, and if you learn from it, paying back the bastard that did it." Regardless, he continues to come back constantly every time he gets fucked.

Speaking of getting fucked…  
>"No."<br>"But what if-"  
>"No!"<br>"C'mon, just-"  
>"I said no!"<br>"You'll feel good."  
>"Hell no."<br>"We did it once."  
>"<em>You<em> did, to me; it's not the same thing. No."  
>"Ash-"<br>"No."  
>"But what if -"<br>"Fuck NO!"  
>"You don't even know what I-"<br>"TO FUCK, AND NO!"

An anthro Pikachu crossed her arms across her naked chest, "You're no fun. As for me doing _it_ to you, you got into it after a while. So _there_."

Ash palmed his forehead, "Look, I told you my answer. You asked, and you got an answer. Now would you please either put on some clothes or go back to your Pikachu disguise? We're in the middle of the city, and people are _staring_."

She responded by sticking out her tongue, and then vanishing in a poof of smoke. A pokémon Pikachu was left behind. It hopped on his shoulder, giving him a look that both shot him with daggers and inspired dirty thoughts in his mind, how he couldn't figure out. "Don't look at me like that. I don't do that kind of thing out of the blue. Besides, that first time when I went into it was only because I saw you were in pain, and since we live together on the road, _and_ we happen to be close friends, _AND_ I don't like seeing my friends in pain."

She nodded. It was true. For some strange reason Ash couldn't keep his nose out of other people's misery and try to help it. Of course, that's what she liked about him, even if he wasn't quite as horny as she'd like him to be. Right as she started thinking about it, he brought it up. "You remember that one night, right, that _particular_ night a few weeks after we fought the Spearow? You were still being a queen bitch, I still was curious how you got in a pokéball, and we still traveled Johto. Those were the days, eh buddy?"

Indeed, and as she recalled it, she couldn't help but giggle a bit at what the situation was like back then…

/

Flaaaashbaaaack

/

Ash eyed the woods surrounding Route 56 like a predator that was also prey, watching for potential pokémon to catch, but also for any _unsavory_ people and creatures that might see him as a potential target. He palmed the pokéball for his Charmander, not letting down his guard.

Of course, that didn't help him when one of his own pokémon attacked him.

A shadow flitted among the trees. Ash caught sight of it, and readied his pokéball. He watched the shadow for any unusual movements, and was disappointed when it vanished. He sighed, placing Charmander back on his belt, and walking on, but maintaining his hand over the shrunken pokéballs in case the unknown figure came back. Of course, it was in that one moment that he turned his back to the woods that the figure leapt out of the shadows and landed on him. He cried out, turning right into the attacker, and finding it to be…

"Pikachu! What the- what are you doing?" She just lay on his lap, butt naked, and rubbed her head on his chest, "Answer me!"

She looked him in the eyes and batted her silky eyelashes at him, "I'm just spending a little quality time with my trainer. What? It there _something_ wrong with it?"

He shivered at the way she said _something_, like she was begging him to either challenge it or do something she might squeal about later. He squirmed, and felt a little tension in his pants. Pikachu felt it too, and closed her eyes, enjoying him squirming under her feminine charm. Of course, she didn't expect him to push her off his lap.

She looked offended, "What was that for?"  
>"You jumped me from out of nowhere, butt ass naked, and start rubbing your head on me, why the hell would you think I wouldn't push you off? I'm not a whore!"<br>"No, you're a jackass! What makes you think I wanted to fuck someone like you? You are the most insensitive, rude, crass BOY I have ever met!"

"I'm the only boy you've ever met? What the hell is up with you, you never act like this, even in when I first met you, you didn't bitch this much! What the fuck crawled up your ass?"  
>"You!"<br>"As if!"  
>"Oh you would say that."<br>"What does that mean?"

She got so angry she decided to get back at him in the cruelest way she could. She grabbed his head, jammed it between her breasts, and forced him into a nose bleed, leaving him there to treat his 'wounds'. Then she stomped off, heading down the road, as Ash chased after her with his nose bleeding.

"Why'd you go and do that?" She turned on him, her cheeks sparking, "You are a jerk! I mean, you don't just up and throw people off of your lap! That's mean! Why would you do that! You aren't a cruel person!"

She started to go from angry to sobbing in seconds. She fell to her knees, crying uncontrollably, muttering to herself. Ash panicked, forgetting his no longer bleeding nose. He immediately got down on his knees with Pikachu and took her hands. "Pikachu, Pikachu listen to me. This isn't like you. Yeah, you bitch a lot, but I think that you do it with good reason. This isn't you. Don't sweat the small stuff. Relax. Honestly, I prefer the old queen bitch over the new model."

He gave her a hug, stroking her spine like she enjoyed so much, and she shuddered slightly under his touch. To be honest, the reason she liked it wasn't sexual at all, it soothed her and appealed to the animal part of her nature. He petted her a few times before trying to break out of the hug, which she released a little reluctantly. He looked at her, "Oh, and don't run off like that! I don't care what's wrong with you, I need you to stick around, and it would suck for you to end up somebody's breakfast! Who else would I have to listen to bitch and moan about every little thing that happens!"

She sat there as he started setting up his camp, then she registered the rest of what he said, "Hey!"

Later…

Pikachu rubbed her stomach, trying to soothe the burning inside. She was in the middle of her period. As a general rule, all women knew to things about this "magical time of the month". One was that it sucked no matter what you called it, and two was that having males around did _not_ help the pain. She was hiding behind his tent, trying to fix the situation herself. At first she ignored it, but the more time she spent around Ash the less she could help herself. She couldn't even look at him without getting knocked up in her mind. So she just talked with some of the guy pokémon when she convinced Ash to let them out, and it wasn't easy without having to look at him. But she had managed to pull it off.

So now she was discussing ideas with Charmander and Squirtle. Now normally a girl wouldn't be discussing her problems with a guy, but pokémon weren't guys, technically, and they also knew of some of the problems of the other sex, being animals as they were, so she knew they were safe to talk to.

She told them her problem, and she also told them a few other things about Ash, none of which can be reproduced here, even though this is a mature story (yes, they are that bad).

Charmander thought a bit about it. Ignoring the insults (Can someone really do that with their balls?) and focusing on the problem itself, he understood her plight somewhat. The somewhat being that he was a guy and didn't go through periods. Squirtle however suggested that she just either masturbate or fuck someone, and she almost yelled at him, and would have if Charmander hadn't interfered. He explained the whole 'mate for life' concept to Squirtle, who immediately slapped himself for his suggestions. Then Charmander suggested that Squirtle, despite being forward, made a point. It seemed that Ash was the one causing her the most pain, and he might need to be the one to soothe it.

She thought about it, and knew he wouldn't give it a single thought. He obviously wasn't that kind of person, and she knew that she was in a hole. So her friends left her to her plight, getting themselves back into their respective pokéballs.

She watched as Ash went to bed, and still couldn't help but want him to stick her with his— she shook it off. It was getting worse, and she needed a solution _fast_ before her hormones turned her into a fuck machine.

An idea popped into her head, but it was a bit too disgusting to even think about. Masturbation, although a viable solution to her problem, wasn't one in her mind. The very idea of sticking her fingers or some other shit into her private parts sent shivers down her spine. So, with nothing in mind, she went to sleep.

Life, however, had a funny way of solving one's problems with new dilemmas.

Pikachu started to dream. At first, it was a regular every day dream, but as it continued, she started to feel _things_. It started with her battling in pokémon form against a Spearow, with Ash cheering her to victory. As the battle continued, she got the upper hand and delivered a quick thunder shock that knocked the Spearow out cold. She hopped into Ash's arms, relishing the victory, only to find that she was chasing him in her anthro form. She started to run, following him and ducking under a low branch when he lay down on the other side. (I think we _all_ know where this is headed.) She got down beside him on her knees, without realizing that she was over his crotch. (Yup, that's where) She leaned in close without thinking and planted a kiss on him mouth, while also undoing his pants. Before she could even realize what she was doing with him, she felt some pain in her abdomen followed by something going in that soothed the burning in her womb. He continued to thrust as she moaned, and when she realized what was going on, she woke up to find her body stuck on his dick in his tent!

She saw cum on the bottom of the tent, and somehow she had managed to undress him while asleep. Of course, when she woke up and cried out he did too and found her on him, his pants around his ankles, and her panicking. So, he naturally assumed the worst, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING FUCKING ME IN MY SLEEP?"

She jumped backwards and rolled, frightened as Ash tried to do up his pants. "Well? Why?" She couldn't respond because at that moment, her stomach cramped. Apparently her period wasn't through with her, and that small taste hadn't been enough. She leaned over, clutching her stomach, and Ash also noticed that she was bleeding. "What the—? You're bleeding! What happened to you, I need to get you to a hospital now!"

He picked her up by getting under her shoulder, and she shook her head as she clutched her stomach, groaning from the pain. It got that much worse when he tried to help her up. He got down, "What's wrong? Come on, you need a doctor, we need to find out what happened to you!" She knew what she needed to say.

"I'm in a period, and up till now, I was a virgin." He looked at her strange, "Is that why you're in pain, and why you're bleeding?" She nodded, "You broke my hymen while we were both still asleep. I guess the stress of my period was too much for my body, so to relieve it I ended up screwing you while we were both sleeping."

Okay, that seemed a bit of a stretch for everyone present, even Charmander who had watched the whole of this escapade unfold. "So, instead of sleepwalking you were sleep-fucking? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!"  
>"You saw me scream! I wasn't enjoying it! I was as freaked out as you were!"<br>"Fuck you!"  
>"You did!"<br>"No, you fucked me! That isn't the same thing!"  
>"Whatever— AHHHHH!"<p>

She suddenly cried out and keeled over in extreme pain, and remembered something. "Shit! I forgot my pills!"  
>"Your pills?"<br>"Yes! It keeps my periods from tearing me up inside! Help me!"  
>"I'll go get them!"<br>"NO! They won't help fast enough! If I take them now, I'll already have a ruined body before they take effect!"  
>"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?"<br>"I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M IN SERIOUS FUCKING PAIN HERE!"  
>"It's not like it's going to do permanent damage right?"<p>

She looked him in the eyes and he saw that she wasn't only scared, but that she thought she wouldn't survive. Seeing that, only one solution came to mind, and it involved finishing something that she had started. He knew that he would probably come to regret this, but it was better than having her suffer for it now.

He rolled her onto her back, and proceeded to undo his pants again. "What are you doing?" He glared, "Just shut up and relax, will you? I can't stand to have you like this, so, well, imgonnagiveyawhatchaneed, okay?"

She didn't understand what he had said, "What do you mean you're going to give me what I—" then he embraced her, and proceeded to relieve her pain.

For the whole night, neither said anything, and when they woke in the morning, Ash silently packed his things and changed as Pikachu turned pokémon to clean herself off. When she had finished, she turned back, and scared the hell out of Ash. "Hey! Warn somebody before you switch like that! Geez!"  
>"Well, excuse me! And to think for a second I was going to thank you! Humph!"<br>"That's not an excuse for flashing me out of the blue!"  
>"Oh, only you would notice that!"<p>

Then she calmed down, "Ash, thank you. If you hadn't, well, helped me out last night, then I might have bit the big one." He relaxed when she finally thanked him, "Don't mention it. It's not like it could be worse."

He _had_ to say that, didn't he.

He patted her stomach as he said the last sentence, and he didn't even take a dozen steps with her in anthro form beside him when they both went wide-eyed about something. Then they looked at each other, and each let loose a glass breaking shriek. The following month resulted in a huge pregnancy scare, due to the forgotten fact that the Pikachu has one of the highest fertility rates among all pokémon. Needless to say, that's what you get for using a forbidden sentence!

Of course, as Ash predicted, his little 'private moment' with Pikachu did indeed come back to bite him in the arse. After the end of the month long scare, at which they had very slight disappointment but much relief to not have to follow through with their plans, Pikachu started to treat him like her 'man'. She often nuzzled him and referred to him as her 'mate for life', which he repeatedly tried to stop her doing. She often used it as a joke, but in her heart, she couldn't help but want to be with the man who saved her.

/

Flaaaashbaaaack end

/

Pikachu finished her reminiscing right as Ash came up to the pokémon center. He went up to the box console and finished loading out his team with a Bayleef and Infernape. He counted off his six using his fingers, "Let's see, I have Squirtle, Charizard, Buizel, Bayleef, Infernape, and of course you, Pikachu."

She responded by jumping on his shoulder and rubbing against his head. Then Ash turned to leave when the Nurse Joy at the counter called him, "Hey, are you the famous Ash Ketchum?"

He almost froze, Pikachu fidgeting on his shoulder as he silently debated whether to confirm or deny the statement. After his successes in bringing down two different organizations and conquering various regions, his name had become well known almost everywhere. That wasn't a good thing, say, when you're in the middle of a Pokémon Center in a large city like Jubilife City. On one hand, it could just be a message sent to him from Brock or Misty or Dawn (the last of which he would most likely be viewed as definite hate mail), but on the other, it could start a huge fan chase that he really didn't need right now.

He didn't turn around, quickly scanning the Center in case anyone else was there. Thankfully, the Center was empty, and it was pretty safe to tell the truth, unless of course she was a fan-girl, in which case he would be in _major_ trouble. Still, he decided to take the risk. "Yes, I am Ash Ketchum." He winced, waiting for 'the squeal', which never came. Nurse Joy just handed him a note, "This is for you, I was asked to give it to you by a boy named Brock."

He sighed; it was like this everywhere he went. He had to watch his step, because some of these fan-girls were a little impatient to get to 'know' him, and some seemed a little young for it. He took the letter and read it, getting a little annoyed that he'd missed Brock while he was here. When he finished, he took a deep breath, and put the note in his bag, thanking the Nurse Joy for giving him the letter. "It was no problem, _but_," she winked at him in a seductive way that sent shivers down his spine, "maybe you can thank me later over a bottle of, say, Jack Daniels? I get off at ten, in case you're interested."

She blew him a kiss before turning around, which Pikachu transformed to catch before turning back. She saw herself, if not his mate, then at least his romance bodyguard. Ash and Pikachu then quickly left the Center, and Ash let loose a quick breath in relief. She was one of _those_ fan-girls, the kind that try to be slick and use something harmless like getting a drink to force you into a situation that he _really_ wasn't in the mood to be in. So, he ran his skinny white ass away from that horny nurse and her 'Jack Daniels'. He made sure to get at least thirty feet away before ducking into an empty alley to catch his breath, not caring that Pikachu had changed again.

Pikachu looked around the corner while Ash took heavy breaths. '_Damn'_, he thought, '_I am way out of shape. I need to start working out again, and fast_.' She turned to him, "She's not following. Maybe I should stay like this, and lean on you a bit, you know, so no one thinks your single." In her mind, she was already wooing Ash into a thick session of sex when he interrupted her day dream, "No, and by that I mean _hell_ no. You tried to pull this on me once. I let you lean on me, you 'trip', and the next thing I know you're on top of me trying to pull my pants off. So thanks, but I'd prefer you stay a pokémon. At least that way you can't trick me, and it'll be easier for you to shock anyone trying to pull me into bed."

She sighed, "Ash, you are oblivious." But, she conceded with his desires and turned back into a pokémon, hopping on his shoulder. He looked around the corner, pulling up a handkerchief and putting on sunglasses to hide his face. Of course, his iconic hat wasn't a dead giveaway. Regardless, he continued to hide in plain sight, strolling through the crowds and making his way to a store. In it, he bought some potions and the medicine for various possible injuries, like say burns. At the communicator nearby, he got Professor Oak on the line and got the medicine that controlled Pikachu's menstruations. Afterwards, he turned to leave and the clerk commented on how he looked a lot like the famous Ash Ketchum.

He'd nearly panicked. Unlike the Pokémon Center, this place was crawling with guys and girls, and not all of them were straight, or great fans of him considering how much they drew over his posters despite the clerk's protests (I told you, Ash Ketchum does not suck dick! Now buy something, or at least stop defacing property, and get out before I call the cops!). He slowly continued to walk as one of the burly guys went over to him and got in his path, "You know, that Pikachu on your shoulder is a lot like the one that Ash has. A whole lot like him."

Pikachu twitched at the 'him' as Ash proceeded to try to talk in a fake accent, a very bad fake accent. "Um, don't all Pikachu look alike?" The man laughed a bit, "Normally yes, but this one has an attitude to it that is almost human, if pokémon had feelings or the ability to think."

Now this asshole had Ash twitching. Of course, he was sorely tempted to give Pikachu the order to thunder shock him and blow his cover, when the TV was turned up with news about Ash Ketchum. Everyone quickly swarmed the mounted TV as Ash made a slick getaway before he snapped and ruined everything.

Once outside, he took a few deep breaths of the free air, relieved that he hadn't had to lose his head. Another minute and he might have started a scandal. It was all because of that stupid show, and Ash got a little angry as he thought about it. Not only did they make a kids version of his life story, they did it without his consent and overlooked at least half of the things that made him and his past. His knuckles became white as he clenched his fist tightly, his temper threatening to give. He didn't go and blow up the nearest Pokémon TV merchandise vendor, but he did buy a stuffed pokéball to beat the stuffing out of. He tossed the ruined toy in the trash, not satisfied in the least. Thankfully, he happened to come across a group of Lucario guarding an alley near the Six Feet Under arcade. He heard a small scream and his instincts took over. He pulled out a pokéball and threw it, shouting "Bayleef, use your Razor leaf attack!"

A white blast of light emanated from the open pokéball, which flew back into his hand as a Bayleef appeared, twisting and shaping the light into a tangible form. Bayleef quickly whipped her head leaf and threw a dozen sharp leaves at the group, one going astray and sailing into the alley. He heard a scream.

Oops.

That seemed the cue for the Lucario anthros to scatter, and they vanished into the city, Pyre shouting orders to guide them back to the village. He was a little relieved that he had failed, and the punk trying to entertain himself with revenge getting his just desserts was a little bonus. Later he would inform the Grand Master what happened, and that the boy was most likely Ash Ketchum from his aura.

However, that was irrelevant as Ash went to help the girl in the alley, recalling his Bayleef, only to blush as he found her pants around her ankles. She quickly pulled them up, Ash muttering something about giving her time to be decent first, before extending his hand to her and asking if she was okay. She crawled a bit further into the alley, still scared from the would-be rapist that had up till now had her down and ready to screw.

He kneeled down and extended his hand, putting a soothing tone to his voice, doing his best to not appear threatening, "It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. I'll introduce myself."

He debated for the briefest moment whether that was a good idea, but the frightened look in the anthro's eyes affirmed his decision. "My name is Ash Ketchum."

She recognized the name as Ash pulled off his scarf and sunglasses, extending his hand to her. Slowly, she stayed low but moved over to him, taking his hand as he stood. The Lucario anthro took his hands, letting him help her to her feet. Then she shook it, "Thank you. If you hadn't come to help me, I would probably be fucked senseless and then hanged back at my village."  
>"Think nothing of— wait, what?"<br>"I used an old hunting right to try and escape, because they saw me as a traitor for being with humans. If you hadn't come and helped me, that boy would have raped me and then the hunters would have killed me when I was taken back. But now, it's over."  
>"How are you sure?"<br>"Their time limit is up. The hunt is over, and now I'm free."

She took the vine necklace off from around her neck and slid it into her pocket. Then she turned to Ash, "So, you're the famous Ash Ketchum, huh?" He started to feel the pressure, suddenly wondering of telling her his identity was such a brilliant idea. Then she looked him over, "Well, you aren't what I expected. I thought you would be older, and not quite to naïve."

Then Pikachu had to transform to get her two cents in, "Hey! Great way to thank the guy who saved your cunt from a dickhead! You didn't even tell him your name before you started to rag on him! You could at least have that much courtesy!"

The Lucario jumped at least five feet in the air when Pikachu turned, and Ash laid a fist upside her head, "Ow, what was that for!"  
>"You scared her! And me! Next time at least <em>try<em> to warn someone who doesn't know you before you change like that!"  
>"How was I supposed to do that? It can't talk as a Pikachu!"<br>"You could have asked me!"

Then she slapped her forehead as Ash got her to apologize to the Lucario, "Hey, sorry, don't be scared of me, its mister 'pokémon-master' here that you need to be wary about."

Then he landed a double fisted overhand strike to her head, "What did you say that for? I don't need you caring her off!"  
>"Why not, for all we know, she could be a prostitute!"<br>"I am _not_ a prostitute!"  
>"And he's <em>mine<em>!"  
>"The hell I am!"<br>"Stay out of this!"  
>"I will when you stop trying to pair us together! We are not mates, we're <em>friends<em>, and I have the freedom to date who I want!"  
>"Oh, so you want to start making out with miss whore over here."<br>"I already said I'm not a whore, dammit!"  
>"Whatever! So Ash, do you have a 'thing' for her?"<p>

Then he started to squirm. '_Damn you, Pikachu,_' then he turned to the Lucario and almost blushed, "Well, I don't even know who you are." Then she took his hand and shook it in a single quick motion, "Jade. Now would you mind explaining Miss PMS over here?"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, "Miss PMS, huh," and she took a breath to rant, and Ash held up his hand, catching her gaze with the corner of his eye, and signaling her to turn back into a pokémon. She obliged, hoping to impress and maybe even humiliate Jade, and with a poof of smoke, she was small again, and hopped on Ash's shoulder. Jade, although impressed, tried and failed not to look that way.

Ash then asked her where she was headed, "Well, I wasn't headed anywhere, I was over at an arcade when I got abducted. And…"

Speaking of the arcade…

Christine gasped as Gerry thrust again, driving deep inside and causing her to squeal in pleasure. Then something crossed his mind, "Hey, Christy, I get the feeling that it's a little too quiet."

That's when they heard the scream and they both swore.

/

Ash guided Jade back inside the arcade and she took him, and by that I mean practically dragged him, down to the underground level. He tried to hide by the wall, but of course, she pulled him out, telling him there was nothing to fear, and one of the gamers noticed him. It was a fan-girl.

Cue girly shriek.

Ash, reacting instinctively, pulled his hand away from Jade and covered his ears, Pikachu getting ready to nail them with a thunderbolt. Of course, she would have if jade hadn't noticed what was happening and, after slapping herself, stepping in front of the mob.

Pikachu told her to get out of the way, which she ignored as she got into a fighting stance. She pulled aura energy into her hands, getting ready for an aura ball, when she noticed someone working their way through the crowd. As he got closer, Jade loosened up slightly as she began to recognize the voice forcing the mob open. "…Alright, alright, alright, one side people, don't lose your heads, owner of the arcade, coming through!"

Gerald broke out of the mob, stumbling to his knees and taking a few breaths before standing tall, "Jade, what's going on here? What are you doing?"  
>"I'm trying to keep these people from running all over somebody."<p>

Then he noticed the figure behind her, and recognized him from TV, "Is that the famous Ash Ketchum?"

Ash, crouching and trying to hide his face, wanted to panic and run for the exit. The last thing he needed was to become an attraction for some arcade. Gerald started to work, "Okay, people, go back to your games, nothing for you here! Hey, I see you trying to sneak over! Back to your games everyone, leave the dude alone! Come on, hey, watch your mouth in here, there are kids!"

As he worked crowd control, Ash panicked slightly, until Jade started talking to him, "So, what happened? Why is everyone after you?"  
>"Why wouldn't they be? I only happen to be the most famous celebrity in the entire region. Don't believe me? Have you <em>seen<em> the kids show my life has been made into?"

As Ash continued, his knuckles started to turn white again, "The lies, simplifying my story to the point of absurdity, doing it without telling me, trying to _sue_ me for copyright infringement so they can take all my pokémon and my money, trying to force me into a contract, I don't even get one damn cent from those whores and their using _my_ story. On top of it all, the fame I get just earns them more cash, and they're _still_ trying to pin me down with a lawsuit. Jackasses, the lot of them, and the more they use me like a global prostitute, the more they abuse my image, and the more it pisses me off. Half of the guys out there in that business are probably members of Team Rocket. That wouldn't surprise me in the least. One of these days, I'll get back at them; oh, I'll get back at them alright."

His anger was so palpable that it started to affect not just Jade, but Pikachu and the crowd as well. Pikachu recognized these signs, and quickly hopped off his shoulder in case his temper broke and he decided to hit something. The crowd eventually got back to their games, and Gerald jogged back over to them, "Whew, that was— whoa, who pissed in your cheerios pal?"

Oh, he should not have said that.

Pikachu dived for cover as Ash lost it, grabbing Gerald by the throat and pinning him to the wall, and getting in his face, "You have no idea of the shit that I've gone through, that I'm still going through, none of you do! So until you finally understand the jackassery people have been cramming down my throat, hoping that I choke and give in, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT SOMEONE PISSING IN MY CHEERIOS!"

He drew back a fist, and Jade caught it, keeping him from hitting the guy that had been trying to help her. He looked her in the eyes, his mind mostly gone, and could barely recognized the pleading look in them. He faltered, releasing his fist, right when a certain lady Arcanine anthro saw him, "HEY!"

He snapped his head in her direction, "That's my husband! I'm the only one that gets to kick his ass! So DROP HIM!" He did, and Gerald rubbed his throat as he took deep breaths, "Damn, you've got quite a grip. I was seeing stars there for a minute." Christine kneeled down at her husband's side, trying to see if he was alright, "I'm fine, Christy, really, but what was that about kicking my ass?" She laughed, "Oh Gerry, you know perfectly well that when you married me, I had the power to bend you over my knee and beat the living shit out of you if you tried to pull anything." He sighed, agreeing, and then Christine turned to Ash, "Now, what in the name of almighty God compelled you to grab my husband here by the throat and choke the life out of him? Well?"

Ash got nervous, this woman had a great figure, and her menacing aura added an edge to her form that really appealed to him and frightened him at the same time. He stuttered, "W-well, I k-kind of just l-lost my temper after he said something that pushed me over the edge," he got more confident as he continued, "and it was a bit of inconvenient timing, at least on his part. He had asked me who had pissed in my cheerios after I had a rant about a certain TV show that is continually trying to make my life a money machine for the people in the video business. The last thing I needed was for someone to come up to me and ask me 'who pissed in your cheerios', when I can't even touch the bastards shoving bullshit down my throat left and right." He could feel his blood pressure rising again, "It's stupid, all of it. Why the hell would someone want to sue me just for looking like and having the same name as their main character? They based him in me, and they even told me as such, but I'm the only one who knows that as a fact! It's bullshit, all of it! A big pile of fucked-up cum sucking BULLSHIT!"

He took another breath to continue, when Pikachu transformed and got in front of him, holding his arms to his sides and sticking his head in between her boobs to knock him out. He passed out, nose bleeding, as some of the horny patrons eyed her with lust, only for Gerald to give her his suit jacket and cause them to groan. Pikachu looked down at him, "Sorry for the peepshow, but this is the only is I only way I ever get him to stop in the middle of blowing his top."

Gerald waved it off, "It's nothing I haven't seen before, but you're not quite as good as Christine's figure. Anyway, why don't you and Christine go find you some nice clothes so you don't have to walk around naked all the time?" Christine then took her and guided her through the arcade to a closet, fending off anyone hoping to 'get some'. Jade and Gerry tried to revive Ash and stop his nose bleed, waking him with a splash of cold water to his face.

"I swear I wasn't— oh, um, what happened?" Jade summarized what Pikachu did, "Damn, sorry, I didn't mean to lose it, but she didn't have to suffocate me with her cleavage."  
>"She said that was the only way she knew to stop you midway through it."<br>"Really? Did she try thunder shock?"  
>"Um, no."<br>"Well, then, I don't think that her boobs are the only way."  
>"You moron, she didn't want to hurt you!"<br>"That hasn't stopped her before!"

Jade stomped off, muttering to herself, "I can't believe him, the nerve of some guys…" Ash just stood there, confused.

Meanwhile Gerald walked back into his bedroom to use his cell to call Hiora. The last thing that he needed to do was to have his friendship with Hiora exposed to blabbermouths when he told him what happened, which is exactly what would happen when… "She WHAT!"

Gerald stuck his finger in his ear to block the shout. He repeated himself, "I told you, she got kidnapped by the hunting party, and someone rescued her." On the other end of the line, Hiora was clutching the phone in one hand while his other slowly bent a sign post in two, gripping it hard enough that it might give a laboring mother a run for her money. "How. _Exactly_. Did. It. Happen." With each word he struggled to keep his temper in check. That was the one sure fire way to get him mad, messing with his family.

Gerry gulped, hearing the metal screech in the background, "I don't know, she seemed safe enough when Christine and I went back into our bedroom, but the next moment, Ash Ketchum comes in with her and she's guarding him from being mauled by his fans."

Hiora took deep breaths, at least she was with someone who was a known ally to the anthro cause. "Okay, I'm on my way."  
>"Wait, what?"<br>"I'm finished with my shopping in any case, I need to pick her up. Plus, I want to meet the person who brought her back to you. I've been taking too long, in any case. I'll be over there in thirty seconds, and she better still be there."  
>"She will be, don't worry, what could—"<br>"Don't. Say it. Don't you dare say it. You know how I feel about statements like that. They just _beg_ for some divine force to come and screw you over."  
>"Alright, alright, geez. She will still be here. I never knew you to be one for superstition."<br>"It's not superstition, it is common sense."

He cut the line and got in his car, speeding for the arcade, in case Gerald ignored his request and he invoked some almighty cosmic joker to come and punk the lot of them. Gerald was right, he wasn't superstitious, but he did see enough things to know that some myths are anything but false.

Gerald closed the cell, thinking the great dreaded sentence, and leaving the room to find the white boy that had tried to rape Jade holding a gun to Ash's head.

/

Ash struggled under the boy's chokehold up until he noticed the revolver stuck to his temple, at which point he stopped fighting and began to sweat, praying that the boy's trigger finger wasn't twitchy.

Christine guided Pikachu and Jade back to the front, only to notice the boy pointing the gun at Ash's head. By that time, the boy had seen them and called out, "YOU! Whore! Come here, you Lucario anthro dick-licker!"

Jade recognized him and, seeing the gun pointed at Ash, reluctantly stepped forward, the crowd moving to accommodate. As she walked, she could feel her anger rising in her, and suddenly understood what Ash had been talking about involving the thunder shock. She got to the other side and the boy switched targets to her, "You bitch. You and your little trainer _prostitute_ friend here ruined me. You cut off the end of my penis, my six inch partner in crime, and now you _both_ are going to pay for it dearly!"

Pikachu had the urge to yell out "big deal, Ash has a full inch on you!", but something was telling her that wouldn't help the situation. She thought for a second, and then got an idea, tapping Christine on the shoulder, "Hold these for me."

Before she could ask what she was doing, Pikachu transformed and quickly darted through the crowd, the white boy being too distracted by his rant to pay attention. Christine, connecting the dots, picked up her clothes and held them in her arms, the crowd having reformed.

Gerald, behind the white boy, had no idea what to do. The boy hadn't noticed him, but he didn't want to expose himself and risk further life. He suddenly saw a yellow blur, and thinking quickly, called the assailant's attention. While he was distracted, Pikachu charged herself up. Then he heard her and shot at her, catching her lightly in the side.

Ash and Jade cried out as she bled on the ground, and the white boy laughed, "Aw, was that the famous Pikachu that I just killed. Who gives a damn, she's just a pokémon, and there are millions like her! Now, as I was saying, you're going to come with me, and in exchange I'll let Ash go." The white boy acted confident, but he was sweating in his head, '_Great, now there are three people. All they have to realize is that I can't shoot them both at the same time, and I am fucked._'

Jade, shaking in anger, walked up to him as Ash protested, "NO! This is the guy that tried to rape you! Dammit, listen to me! He's got a gun, what's to keep him from shooting us all!"

She stopped, and the assailant jammed his gun to Ash's temple, causing him to bleed a bit, "Come on, I don't have all day, hurry up or you're going to be cleaning up Ash here with a mop. Ash was angry, but it was a good anger that sharpened his focus instead of blurring it. He noticed the glow around her hand, and he thought quickly, not wanting to end up in the middle of crossfire. So, with almost no plan behind it, he stomped on the boy's foot, whipped the gun from his head, and rolled out of the way. That's when Jade struck. She launched a green aura ball at him from close range, using her fist to turn it into a kind of aura punch, but he dodged it and put the gun to her temple, his back to the stairs. "Thank you, now you can take his place." Then he raised his voice, "I'm taking her with me, and no one follow or she will have an appointment with Saint Peter!"

He started to drag her to the stairs when a shadow fell over him. He didn't even turn, "Hey, dude, get out of the way, I have a bitch to—"

A flash of steel came from the shadowy figure, slashing the boy's hand and causing him to drop the gun, giving Jade room to get away from him. The boy turned to the shadow, "You bastard! I'm going to kill you, I'm going to FUCKING—"

POW!

He flew across the hall and slammed against the wall, unconscious and bleeding in his chest. The shadowy figure stepped forth and spoke in a familiar voice as the light hit him, "That's what you get for badmouthing my family and insulting pokémon everywhere."

Jade was happy, Hiora was here at last. As he descended the stairs, Gerald went over to him, and—

BAM!

Hiora dealt a degrading blow to Gerald's crown, "What did I tell you about using that sentence, dammit!"  
>"Okay, okay, you were right."<p>

Hiora walked further in and saw Pikachu, who had now turned back to her original form. Acting quickly, he analyzed the wound, and Ash held his breath. "It's alright, the wound is just superficial, the bullet didn't penetrate anything vital and in a few weeks the wound should heal over fine."

Ash let his breath loose, relieved at the good news, and then Hiora shook his hand, "You must be the famous Ash Ketchum that rescued my daughter Jade, correct?"

Ash blinked, "She's your daughter?" He smiled, "Yes, well, adoptive daughter, anyway. I suppose you already know who I am?" Ash nodded, "Hiora of the Immortal Way. Famous for the visit of every single legendary pokémon visiting your temple in the middle of the woods. Also known as the mighty Halo Demon, and I saw the video of the slaughter you performed upon the Johto military. Damn, over four hundred-thousand soldiers, that has to be some kind of record. All I can say is, I'm glad I didn't piss you off."

Hiora was impressed he wasn't bothered by the slaughter, "So, the killing of all those men doesn't bother you?"  
>"Well, I didn't say that. All those men were fighting for their region, and the moment I finished watching it, I had to know, why did you do it? What reason could you possibly have of taking that many people to the grave?"<p>

Hiora looked forlorn, "That, my friend, is something that is meant for another time. I will tell you, since those men come from your home region, but not now. Now is a time to go home and celebrate. Perhaps you could join us."

Ash was about to decline as Pikachu gained consciousness, "Please, the least I could do is allow the man who saved my daughter and his friend to stay in my own home. Not to mention that I have plenty of medical supplies to aid her healing process."

He still was unsure. It wasn't just because of Pikachu's secret, but the fact that staying with a stranger raised a few _big_ flags in his book. Then again, it was free, and he wasn't a complete stranger. Still, who knew what sort of strange habits Hiora kept in his home. Eventually, he conceded, "Fine, I'll come along. But try any funny business and Infernape will fire punch you so hard you'll have burns for a month." Hiora clapped his hands, "Excellent! Now let's get going, we all need food in our bellies, and I need to get to know Mr. Pokémon here."

Ash twitched, "Mr. Pokémon, huh. Why that little…" As he muttered to himself, he and Hiora helped carry Pikachu to the truck. Well, really Ash, because he refused to let anyone else touch Pikachu, except maybe Christine to put her clothes on her, and even that took some doing and he did most of it, despite being embarrassed. Eventually they got Pikachu and Ash into the truck, Ash opting to stay with his friend in the back to keep her safe, and regretting the proposal when he got nailed with a pack of eggs in his face.

The trip took a while, and when he finally got there, a special platform was waiting there for him that Jade was sure wasn't there before. Hiora pulled up over the platform and pulled out a remote. He pushed the button, and then gave the suggestion to hold on tight. Ash almost snapped about, "What the hell else am I supposed to do back here?", but his mouth was shut for him when he had to hang on to a pallet as he rapidly descended into a dark cave, Pikachu clinging on for dear life next to him. The platform continued to descend at an alarming rate, but it eventually slowed down and came to a stop, at which point Ash had lost his hat and Pikachu her button-shirt. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her t-shirt as Ash's hat fell on her head. Then Ash caught her over-shirt and they swapped, putting on both.

Ash turned to Hiora and was about to yell when he caught the grin in the rearview mirror and shouted for Pikachu to hold on tight. He quickly did the same, and not a moment too soon, the platform the truck sat on sharply turned to the side, and then it shot like a bullet into the darkness, the headlights being the only source of illumination. Jade freaked out as Hiora laughed, enjoying the sight of his companions in distress at his 'joke', and he held on tightly as the vehicle sailed into the tunnel, scaring three of the four passengers witless. Then it stopped, hurling Ash into a spot where he was sandwiched between the rear window of the truck and Pikachu's body, and trying to be calm since her waistline was above his mouth (use your imagination ;)).

She moved away, and he relaxed, just as the truck started to slowly ascend into who knew where. As they ascended, Hiora looked back and spoke, "Everyone, I have two things to say to you. One, is what you are about to see must be kept secret, and two, I would like you to prepare to have your minds fucking blown."

He grinned like a loon, doing his best to hide the debate going on in his mind. He hadn't thought about Ash and Pikachu possibly telling anyone about his lab. Hopefully, and if he was right, they wouldn't have much to tell anyone, not that they would want to.

A door opened above them, and light poured upon them like warm white water. As the platform became flush with the surrounding floor, the lab was visible, and it was a _beautiful_ sight.

Glistening steel and flashing computers abounded, with both poké-anthro and pokémon running wild in the midst like dozens and dozens of worker bees doing their daily duties. So many in one place, even Jade couldn't help wondering if he was doing some sort of illegal trade, while Hiora himself pondered if all this was a bit much, but it's not like he could have them carry it all back, some of this stuff was heavy. Very heavy and very, _very_ sensitive. He got out of the truck, and Jade followed, Ash attempting to pry Pikachu off of a pallet. After that, Hiora guided them through the building to an elevator, diverting their attention from any of his projects and cursing himself for not anticipating something of this nature. Half of the more discreet experiments were now in the open, and he had to think fast to avoid exposure. Jade caught a few glimpses of them, but decided that she wouldn't ask questions, and also learning that many of her questions had gone unasked. Quietly, she made a resolution to corner Hiora one of these days and ask him all her unanswered questions, but for now, "Hiora, what is going on here? Where are we?"  
>"We are in my lab, now step lively, quickly now, into the elevator!"<br>"But what are you doing in there?"

He turned hard of hearing, "Alright, now Ash, Pikachu, you are about to meet the upper levels of my Infinity Temple's underground sanctuary. And before you ask, I built the sanctuary underground to hide it from prying eyes and ears, eyes and ears attached to the heads of people that I unfortunately cannot touch without violating the law, and the last thing I need is for people to consider me a rebel to society and use that as a lightning rod to gather forces to bring down the government. The situation involving the anthros is volatile enough without adding a rebellion to the mix."  
>"Um, I wasn't going to ask."<br>"Neither was I. Ash, hit him please."

He wanted to comply, but after what had happened at the arcade, he whispered his decline and reasons into her ear, causing her to look at him with a new kind of curiosity.

The elevator 'dinged', and they got out, Hiora sealing the door to it behind him. Pikachu was still weak, so Jade finally decided to help Ash carry her as Hiora guided them to some empty rooms, both of which were near hers and opposite one another. He gave Ash two keys with the number of one of the rooms on each, and he told him to hold onto them, and that he could stay as long as he needed. He took a breath to continue, but then Grace came up to him, "Father Hiora! I'm glad you're finally back!"  
>"What? What is it?"<br>"We have a code black on Alex, she's trying it again."

His eyes got wide, "Damn it, Jade, you stay here and take care of these two, help them get settled and such, I have a code black to take care of."

He followed Grace from behind, not knowing where Jennifer was attempting from, and swore under his breath, "Damn, of all the times for that suicidal Suicune to try and kill herself, why now…" As he muttered, he began to worry more, his face regaining its age, and that did not go unnoticed by Grace, who was used to it. She'd worked with him for so long, that his switching between an old man and a youthful adult was commonplace in her eyes. Still, that gave her concern every time she saw it. He carried burdens most people would be crushed under without batting an eye, and as the speedy Snivy Grace was thinking, she also knew that he couldn't do this forever, superhuman or not.

Jade, Ash and Pikachu were all a bit stunned from what just happened. Jade shook it off and showed them what the rooms had to offer, and then retired to hers. Ash helped her into the bedroom, and turned to leave, except Pikachu didn't want him to. "Ash, wait."  
>"Yeah."<br>"Stay here, I need something from you."  
>"Pikachu, how many times do we have to go through this? I don't want your body, I am not a horn dog, and I am not going to fuck you."<p>

She looked down, "That's not what you're penis is thinking." He looked too, and saw she had a point. He had a bit of an erection growing, and swore. "Damn, and no."  
>"Ash, come on, its fine. You want to fuck, I'm here <em>to<em> fuck, what's wrong with that?"  
>"You aren't my girlfriend, you're my friend, and you're a girl, wait, shit."<br>"Exactly. Why can't we have a little fun now and then? We don't have to start dating, it could be a whole 'friends with benefits' kind of thing."  
>"You do know how that movie ended, right?"<br>"Details, details, look, I have a condom right here."  
>"And how did you managed to get that, and where have you been keeping that in any, never mind, I still say no, especially with you in the condition you're in, and we just got here. Why would you want to have sex in a room you're not even familiar with?"<br>"Location doesn't matter, what matters is each other being around and being together."  
>"See! You're already trying to turn it into a relationship. No way in hell am I fucking you, I only did that because you were in pain, I couldn't stand it, and you being scared the way you were scared the shit out of me! No!"<p>

He turned to leave, "Wait. Ash, that was years ago, and I know I didn't exactly let it go, but you too good care of me. You even promised to give your dream up to help raise a kid that never got conceived, and if that's not love or at least a damn close thing, then nothing is. You were so much like a father, and acted like my family, I never forgot that. I wanted that again, but you know what, that's fine. I can see that we are not a couple, and you don't like me that way. I never said you did, but you were my first, and I am sure that a girl never forgets the guy that broke her hymen, and I'm also sure that you haven't forgotten it either."

He couldn't help but look her in the eyes, and when he did, he found that he couldn't lie. "Damn, fine, you're right, I never forgot. Things changed, people came and went, but you were there. I don't love you like a wife, I love you like family, because you are. Fuck, I sound like one of those soap operas you and my mom love watching all the time."

Pikachu laughed, "Yes, yes you do, and that's fine. Oh, and I see how you look at Jade, I know you think about her." "I haven't thought about her except when that guy threatened her." "Still, you saved her not once, but _twice_, and if you want her, I have a feeling that she will want you. Hey, I'm willing to share, but don't expect me to take it easy."

He sat on her bed, head in hands, "What the hell is going on?"  
>"I don't know, but I'm here."<br>"Thanks. Hey, is that why you're so obsessed with my dick?"  
>"Um, yeah, pretty much."<br>"So if I do you again, you won't be so freaking 'passionate' about getting some from me?"  
>"Well, when you put it that way…"<br>"Lean back and relax."  
>"What, what are you doing?"<p>

He smiled as he zipped her pants open, "I'm ending this nonsense."

The rest of the night was full of low noise and rather passionate love.

/

** So, what did you think? Good chapter, right? Don't expect a lot of lemons, blah, blah, blah, but I will write **_**a few**_**. I actually planned for this little 'session' to happen later, but then a potential for more drama came forth, thus, the second round. If you want a hint at the future, here are two things. One, think back to the first time, and two, didn't she mention a condom? Oh, and you can expect more from Jade, since she is going to hook up with Ash, but in a relationship you won't expect. One question tells all, who here has heard of abstinence?**

** Hiora: What about me?**

** N.F.: Yes, more of you.**

** Midna: What about 'the Child of Twilight'? Aren't you going to work on that?**

** N.F.: Yes, that too.**

** System Crash: What about System Chaos, you need to finish the next chapter.**

** N.F.: Argh! Okay, I'll get back to that!**

** Panther: What about—**

** N.F.: YOU! BAISHET!**

** *poof***

** Sly: I'm not done with you!**

** Fox: Neither am I!**

** Link: *mute stare***

** Izu: What about me?**

** N.F.: *clutching head* Fuck! You're all giving me a fucking—**

** System Chaos: Look out!**

** N.F.: NEGA-POWER ZONE, BITCHES! I'M BACK!**

** Everyone else: SHIT!**

** Bye.**


	5. Ch 4: Stand My Ground

**Chapter 4**

Stand My Ground

/

/

/

Pikachu woke up, feeling something sticking into her hips, and for a moment, she thought that she had repeated the event she created years ago, and raped Ash and he slept, but then the rest of last night came to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked down, and found that it wasn't his dick, but her panties. Ash had put her button shirt and underpants on her before leaving, and left. She smiled, getting out of bed and deciding that maybe he'd be more open to another little 'intimate moment' in the morning.

She opened her door, and Ash was standing right there in his roughed up clothes. She scratched her head and smiled at him (for a picture of what she looks like at this point, here's the link: /post/show/13555 [Don't go to the link unless you're over or at 18, you were warned]), not showing her teeth but giving him a little grin that showed how much she enjoyed the sex.

He was still a little groggy, "Hey, how're things?"  
>"Great, you remember last night?"<br>"Hell yeah, that was the first time I fucked and did it cause I _wanted_ to, why the hell wouldn't I remember it?"  
>"Up for a second time?"<br>"Huh?"

Then she pulled him into her room and locked the door, smiling sexually and already giving Ash a boner. She hopped on top of him, undoing his pants as he pulled her panties off, whipping them to the side. He rolled her to the side, and kissed, tongues dancing as he penetrated her vagina, pushing between the labia and driving deep and slow. She moaned a bit into his mouth, rocking her body with him, already getting a rhythm going, and pulling him on top. She could feel him deep inside, right near her womb, and yanked at his ass to drive him deeper. He started to feel fluid and his pressure began to build as they slowly started to climb towards the climax, with plenty of time to go. He went harder and a little bit faster, wanting to draw it out a little while. As he did her, he thought about the whole thing she said and he came to a conclusion, '_Friends with benefits don't cover this well enough, not by a fucking long shot._'

She felt her muscles tightened around his probing member, coating it with cum and driving it deep into her. She wanted him to fill her, but not yet, not now, let it build more. She got tighter and tighter, not knowing if she could hold out, and she called his name quietly, "Ash," he looked her in the eyes, "I know, I'm about to." And as he kissed her, rubbing and probing his tongue in her mouth and against hers, he drove as deep as he could go and let loose his load into her, holding her tight to his waist as his sperm poured and poured into her body. She could feel him cumming inside her, spraying her womb with his seed, and was glad she got a private operation for a Nuva-ring not two weeks after the first time, making sure that she wouldn't get pregnant unless she wanted to.

He stopped, and began to pull out of her, when she grabbed his waist, "Why don't we just stay like this, no one else is going to wake up, at least for a while."  
>"How do you know that?"<br>"It's five in the morning."

He checked his watch, shrugged, and pulled her close, still penetrating her, and she savored every moment of it, thanking whatever divine beings out there for this one perfect morning. Then they fell asleep in each other's arms, united as one, until they would be woken by Hiora, but that wasn't for another three hours…

/

Unknown to them, Hiora was already awake, and working on a special project. He had an Eevee in a glass container, and an Everstone over his head. Hiora started to speak into an earpiece as he worked on a small tablet, "Okay, people, this is the real deal. This is a test of stone fusion with pokémon to result in a permanent form. This is nothing like the scenario generators, this is for real, and we need to compensate for the Arceus factor. Alright, Grace, start us off, engage the stabilization field."  
>She punched in a combination on a keyboard as Hiora slid a lever on his tablet, "Okay, Jessie, I need your psychic abilities to keep a tab on James in there. If something goes wrong, you'll be the first to know so I need to be the second. Got it?"<br>An Espeon nodded and turned her attention to the Eevee in the chamber, focusing on it with a mighty intent. Hiora turned to a Suicune, "Alright, Alex, flip the switch, and don't do it on your head, please."

The Suicune hmph-ed, and used her paw to pull a lever, lowering the Everstone right over the Eevee. She watched with withdrawn interest, a small and weak spark lit in her eye. Hiora caught that and grinned slightly, knowing now a way to cheer her up. Then he turned his attention to the experiment and pressed a button on his earpiece, "Computer, engage stone fusion process. Start with 3% power, and work from there.

The stone started to glow, slowly descending from the stand and on the Eevee, who seemed scared. The glow merged with the Eevee, and that's when Hiora started to work fast, "Alright, Grace begin the DNA infusion process, Alex I need you to work on rewriting the Eevee's code as Grace performs the infusion. Jessie keep focused on James, this is the critical stage. I need movement! Johnny, get the grapple from the kit, we'll need it if Arceus isn't friendly to us today. Jennifer, feed me the data hard and fast, I need to know what your screen is telling you."

He began to work form the tablet, monitoring stability, infusion rate, medical statistics on the Eevee, and power level. He held the button again, "Computer, increase power to 17% when conditions are in the ideal zone."

It took a minute, but then the glow increased, making the Eevee less visible, "Alex, how's that recoding going along?"  
>"Recoding is a delicate process, but it's going surprisingly smooth. So far, no complexities in the infusion process and I've only had to correct 7 errors in the DNA, all caught early. So far, the experiment is stable and successful."<p>

He released a sigh of relief, "Thank Arceus and his three children, alright people, this is where we cross our fingers and pray to the legendaries, we've been doing everything in our power to guide the process, now all we can do is stand back and give tips. If you got 'em, smoke 'em."

Johnny pulled out a cigarette, "And that's a figure of speech, Johnny." He crushed it under his heel as Hiora watched the statistics. He saw a small blip in the stability, right as the Gardevoir Kayla called his name, "I know!"

He gave fast orders, moving his fingers furiously across the tablet's surface, right as they heard the Eevee in the chamber cry out, the vitals went crazy, and Jessie called his name. "Shit! Grace, scan for anomalies, Alex run a double check on the sequence, Johnny, WHERE THE FUCK IS MY GRAPPLE?"

Johnny jumped and sped off, not liking the scary model, and deciding that maybe not blowing him off was a good option. Hiora turned his attention to the tablet once again, shouting instructions into his earpiece, "Computer, ramp up the power to 80% on my mark!"

He waited, and waited, and he saw a large ripple in the stability, and took his chance, "MARK!" The light became blinding, and Jessie called out to James once more, then Hiora used his earpiece, "Computer, cut the power! Disengage the fusion process!"

Then, poof, the light went out. The Eevee in the center stood weakly, and smiled. Hiora and half the team sighed in relief, until Kayla called out again and James lit up. "No! Johnny, throw it!"  
>"What?"<br>"THROW IT, DAMMIT, THROW IT TO ME NOW!"

Johnny let the grapple sail through the air and it landed gently in Hiora's hand, the handle falling into his waiting grip and his thumb resting on the button. He smashed the glass with his left elbow and then aimed his right at the light, pushing the trigger and firing the grapple straight into it. A second later the line tensed, and he yanked it hard, pulling out a small stone that rested in the grapple's three claws. The light faded when the stone appeared and James was lying on his belly, not moving. Jessie, cautious and afraid, went up to him and licked his face a couple of times. He lifted his head as it shook, smiled, and then it dropped back to the floor, everyone but Hiora breathing a sigh of relief.

He let the grapple fall, his anger causing his fists to clench. It was palpable enough to let everyone near him feel it, and they got out of the way just in time as he roared, slamming his fists into a stainless steel table and bending it in thirds, his imprints forming the fold lines. He kicked it, breaking it in half as he swore, "Dammit! I was sure it would have worked this time! I did all the math, I double checked the scenarios, why didn't it work? FUCK! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK, ARCEUS, WHY?"

He yelled at the top of his lungs, his anger turning it into something scarier than a lion's roar. He raised his fists again, only for Grace to hold a finger to his arm. He looked at her with fiery red eyes, and she gave him a pleading one in return. He calmed himself, taking a deep breath before talking to her, "Thank you, Grace. I need to keep control. All this power on my shoulders and yet you're the one that can keep it in check."

As he walked over to the elevator, Jessie cleaned up James as Grace hung on Hiora's arm, moving together like an old married couple, and that was enforced as he then picked her up in a fireman's carry into the elevator, a ring of gold glistening softly as the elevator closed…

/

Ash woke to a knock on the door, and looked at Pikachu. He freaked for a second, remembered part of earlier this morning, freaked a little more, remembered the rest, and then relaxed. He felt something closed on his penis, and looked down to see it still lodged in between her hips. He looked up again at her face to see it smiling at him. He smiled back. "Hey, so, you okay with the whole 'friends with benefits' thing?" He laughed a bit, "Really? I just fucked you twice in as many days, and yet you're asking if I'm okay being 'friends with benefits', really?"

She laughed back, "Yeah, okay, fine, I get your point. I'm glad you finally decided to go with the flow." Then he pulled out and stretched, and something he remembered caught his attention, "Hey, did something about that Snivy seem strange to you?"  
>"No, why?"<br>"I understood what she was saying."  
>"Don't you always understand pokémon?"<br>"No, I mean I _heard __exactly_ what she was saying, she was speaking English."

That was odd, "Wait, so she was talking like we are talking right now?" "_Yes_." That was very weird, only a few pokémon existed that could speak the human tongue, most of them were psychic in some way, and she was pretty sure of herself that Snivy weren't one of that number.

The knock at the door came again, and they got dressed. Her button shirt was the only worn clothing between the two of them, so it was pretty frantic. It took only a few moments, but they managed to get dressed and look at least presentable, and were calm until Ash noticed cum all over the bed. Swearing, Pikachu pulled the end of the cover out from between the mattresses and flipped it over, spilling its contents onto the floor a bit as she disguised their love fluids, then mopping it up quickly with a towel while he got the door. She managed to finish before the door opened, and was behind him a few seconds after the door had opened and Ash had started talking with Hiora.

"Ah, how are you this morning, Pikachu?"  
>"Fine, fine, just mopping up some breakfast that spilled."<br>"Oh, alright, so why are you in here Ash?"  
>"Oh, I wanted to check up on her, see how she was doing. I saw the mess and helped clean up some of the trash."<br>"I thought it was breakfast?"  
>"Breakfast, yeah, right. I meant breakfast."<p>

Pikachu slapped him upside the head as Hiora noticed a peculiar scent in the air. He sniffed, and found the smell emanating from the two of them. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but you two have a strange aroma on you." Pikachu flinched, "Um, really, what kind of smell." "Well, to be brutal but truthful, you both smell of sex. Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

Ash panicked a bit as Pikachu bit her lip, "Be honest, it's nothing to be ashamed of, but did you two have sex last night?" Hiora heard a pair of sighs, and Ash spoke first, "Okay, yeah, we did. And this morning." He just laughed, "I knew something was up. I take it that you're a couple then?" That was followed by a pair of frantically shaking heads, "No, nuh uh, me and Ash are _not_ a couple. We just, you know, did it to do it." He nodded in understanding, "Ah, okay, I get it. There was nothing behind it, it was just fucking for the sake of sex, right?" "Yep." "Okay, good, at least you're not lying to me. So, you should lay off the intimacy until she heals fully, but that's just my opinion." Then he left, leaving Ash and Pikachu to wonder what he meant. Typical.

Jade stretched and stood, yawning from her bedside. Yesterday, to say it was eventful, would have earned you a slap. Jade thought back to how that white trash had threatened Ash and herself with that gun. '_He got what he deserved_', she thought, '_no one threatens Ash and gets away with it._' Then the full content of her thoughts hit her. '_Wait a second, did I just worry about him? Do I like him? Maybe, but why should I care about him? He can care for himself, and has Pikachu to help him. But…_'

She paused before talking out loud, "But maybe I do like him. Get a hold of yourself, Jade, you just met the guy, and he saved your life. Yeah I saved his, but that was a lot of excitement, I need to at least wait until this all calms down. Then, if I still like him, then I can go forward with it. Yeah, that's what I'll do."

She opened the door and found the man in question waiting there with the pokémon in question. "Um, hi." He looked up and noticed her, "Hey, listen, you know this place, and ,well, we don't, so would you mind, maybe, showing us where we can get something to eat?"

"Sure." She turned around, motioning for them over her shoulder, and started walking off, the three of them each having their own private dilemma. Pikachu was debating whether to try and attempt getting to the next base with Ash, '_Should I? What if he doesn't want to, what if he only likes me as a friend. Damn, I should have been more specific about the 'friends with benefits' thing, now the only thing between us is a thick wall of sex…_' Ash was curious about what Hiora had said, '_What the hell did he mean by at least not lying to him? Am I lying to Pikachu, myself, aw fuck, this is giving me a headache…_' Jade was thinking about Ash, '_Do I like him, he is kinda hot. Oh, pull it together, you don't even know what he thinks of you. Maybe I can ask and then try reading his aura. Oh, great plan, just one thing; he might think you're pushing for a relationship, and there's obviously some history between him and Pikachu, so now what…_'

The three of them silently debated, up until Jade crashed into a wall and, unfortunately, had turned to talk to Ash while moving backwards. This lead to a very funny and very awkward situation where Ash had his head squished between the cleavage of both Pikachu and Jade, and he didn't know whether to try to escape, or to pass out with a nosebleed from the 'pure awesomeness'.

This lasted only a second, but then they broke away and all three felt very awkward about it. That was until Jade opened the door, and the smell of fresh food caused both the new tenants bellies to grumble. Like a flash, they grabbed plates piled with food and proceeded to have an eating contest of some sort, switching looks from each other to the food and back again, and shoveling so fast it was a wonder that they didn't choke. Honestly, it was starting to attract attention, and a few rowdy people started to cheer them on (read: Johnny and his cohorts) with shouts of "Go, go, go, go!"

After what seemed like a half an hour, Pikachu slowed down, and Ash smiled, up until a piece of bread caught in his throat when someone (Johnny) patted him in the back. Pikachu was up and already performing the Heimlich like it was an everyday thing, yanking on his abdomen so hard some of the guys winced, and Ash launched the piece clear across the room, nailing a certain unlucky Suicune in the forehead. She patted his shoulder, "Damn, Ash, watch—"

She slapped her hands over her mouth. Too late. The crowd heard the magic name and, for lack of a better term, went ape shit. "What the— that's Ash Ketchum? Hey, that is Ash!" Pikachu caught his eye and they both silently agreed about the two words that described the hole they were in. Aw. Shit.

Ash winced as the crowd swarmed him, waiting for Pikachu's thunder shock to hit him so he could get the people off. Having no rubber body suit, he knew this was going to _suck_.

What happened was not what he expected.

Pikachu was all charged up and raring to go, when Jade leapt in, Bone Rush at the ready, and a fatally fiery look in her eye. She stood between the horde and Ash, ready to leap into a fight in case one of them got too eager, and anger tightened her grip till her knuckles turned white. When she spoke, her voice almost trembled, "Anybody who tries to touch Ash here gets a Bone Rush right up the ass, _got it_!"

/

Meanwhile, in the Hoenn region…

"Ah!"

WHAK!

"Son, pay attention! You can't give these, _abominations_, any leeway. Show no weakness, and harbor no mercy!"

In a mansion near the center of Slateport City, an aristocrat was educating his son in 'the way the world was'. To do so, he had bought an anthro Milotic in the black market, and was using her as a slave to show 'what needed to be done'.

"Slave, my son needs to see what the real world is like, and you need to be broken, now do as I say, and GIVE ME THOSE DAMN PANTIES!"

Lower lip trembling, scared beyond reason, the Milotic obeyed, handing over her floral underpants. She was already developed at a young age of 15, and had a fine figure that was going to be beaten out of shape if the aristocrat continued in this manor. He tightened his grip on his whip, in case she disobeyed, "Now, get on your knees." She did, "Lean back, and hold open your pussy so that I can show my son what is expected of him, and what he needs to learn about the real world."

Slowly, she did as she was ordered, using her thumbs to pry open the doors to deep within her womb. The aristocrat grabbed his son by the collar, "You asked me where you came from, and now you're going to find out." He shoved his son's face so close to the area, he could have touched it with his tongue, and he couldn't avert his eyes from the depths, "There, in there is where you came from. I fucked your bitch of a mother, and you were formed by the same insides you see now. You can see that she has a bit of flesh in there in the center. That is called a hymen, and that is only visible in virgin women."

He pulled him back, looking him in the eye, "Son, as you can surmise, the _freak_ has not yet had a dick shoved in there. That is going to change. At some time this month, I expect you to force yourself on her, and steal that virginity, or I will do it myself." He licked his lips, "Although I would prefer to have her to myself, I have to make sure you learn what the real world is like. So instead of taking the pleasure for myself, I'm giving it to you, and if you don't do her, you can expect one hell of a thrashing after I finish."

Then he dropped him, kicked the Milotic in the thigh, and left, leaving the both of them feeling degraded and horrible. The boy slowly got up, dusting off his last generation high-class clothes, and ran the fingers of his left hand through his bright blonde hair, his right clenched tight enough to make him bleed. "Damn you, father, if I had half of the guts my mother did, I would have walked out that door by her side and left you here. Fool, I should have known that not everyone has a vein of righteousness within their heart. If I even had a shred of decency, I would have smacked your cigar-sucking little grin off of your face. Why, why must I be such a COWARD!"

With that word, he swung his foot into a tall heavy lamp, earning himself nothing but a painful foot, not that he noticed, "All I would have to do is at least mention the smallest thing to Hiora or one of his Underground associates, and that would be the end of you, yet I still continue to let you get away with these heinous crimes! Damn me, Arceus, damn me, for I am a greater sinner than even my father, for I stand silent in the face of evil, and let it run rampant. Damn me for a coward, for that is a greater sin than any I could ever foresee, but one day, I will not allow him to continue. One day, one day, I _will_ stand my ground against him, and when that day comes, well, retribution is quite the bitch, or so I've heard."

He continued to talk to himself as the Milotic anthro watched him, feeling his negative emotions. She could see his fear and anger, his destruction of himself, but despite her desire to help him and relieve his dark emotions, she stayed back from him, afraid of being hit again.

He fingered the gold chain from his breast pocket, pulling out a watch, and opening it to find a picture of the aristocrat side by side with an Eevee. The picture seemed to anger him, "I cannot understand, you are fan of both pokémon and human, yet you do not favor the combination. You are nothing but a HYPOCRITE!"

He yanked the chain holding his watch to his breast pocket and threw it on the floor, where he noticed something familiar. He picked up the panties that the Milotic had been wearing. Moving near her caused her to back away, so he held out her panties to her, "I believe these are yours. Here, let me help."

The boy helped her get them on, and he didn't seem to be embarrassed in the slightest. "Does this not bother you? Being so close to the area that other man forced you to see inside?"  
>"Does it bother you? This is not in the slightest the worst thing I have experienced. That man, my father, is a cruel, sadistic, alcoholic, hypocritical bastard and half the time I cannot believe I am related to him."<p>

She flinched when his fingers brushed her sides, "Don't be afraid of me. I am nothing like my father, nor do I ever wish to be half of the 'man' he is. Believe me when I say he could do worse. Once, in order to impress some of his peers, he forced me to strip naked and urinate in the presence of over two dozen important figures, just to show how much control he had over his family, and without a single drop of any whisky. To be honest, I prefer him drunk, at least then the worst he can do is hit me. He drinks so much he cannot form one rational thought without a headache, and for that I am grateful."  
>"Why?"<br>"Because if he were able to, he'd notice half of the things I've been doing under his nose and I'd be beaten within half an inch of my life. I mainly help the other 'maids', as he calls his feminine enslaved work force, to recover from the blows he has dealt. I talk to members of the Pokémon Underground, and sometimes, do more than just talk. I have been donating money to various charities. Chances are, if he ever managed to find out what I did while he was drunk, he'd ruin all the work I've done to help make lives better."  
>"Why would you tell me this? How do you know I won't tell your father?"<br>"One: It wouldn't curry and favor from him and two: neither of us exactly have a lot of option to whom with talk to."

He removed his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders, "Come, I need to get you somewhere you can tell me how he came to 'purchase' you, and I need to tell you a few tricks on how to survive here. Now, what is your name?"  
>"Brianna."<br>"Well Brianna, as much as it pains me to tell you this fact, this is your new home."

/

Back at the Infinity Temple…

Hiora came into the dining hall to quite the surprise. Jade was keeping back hordes of residents as Ash was being forced to take shelter behind her. He used the air to make is voice carry, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS AND ALL OF HIS CHILDREN IS GOING ON HERE?"

He actually put a little too much 'oomph' in his voice, and it caused the room to shake, throwing some people off balance and onto their respective asses.

Jade got back up and pointed to the crowd, "_They_ were about to flood on Ash over here until I got in the thick of it and, well, basically told them to back off before I broke my foot off in—"  
>"Alright, alright, I get it. Everyone back off. Seriously, back away from the trainer."<p>

Slowly, the crowd backed off, and Hiora took Jade's place at the front, "Alright everyone, I think it's clear you know who our guest is, and he is a _guest_, not some doll to goggle at or rip apart in a frenzy, as such, I want you to treat him like a person, not a figurehead. In other words, he's not a statue, for now, he's family, and you better treat him like it, or you'll hear from my friends Mr. Mrs. And the Knuckle kids. _Understand?_

They understood, and a few of them had met the Knuckle family, and it wasn't a pleasant first impression. Hiora straightened his robe, "Good, now that that is out of the way," he turned to Ash "if it isn't too much trouble, I would like you to come with me on a trip to meet with an important person."  
>"Why?"<br>"Having an important person such as you at my side would greatly help the Pokémon Undergrounds cause, especially when the trip meets with someone who could contribute large funds to help the situation in other regions. Plus, I always thought you might be willing to lend a hand to the Underground, being an avid supporter of anthros and the like as you are. Frankly, I need all the help I can get."  
>"Why need my help, you're a one man army."<br>"That is precisely why."  
>"I don't quite understand."<br>"Then allow me to elaborate. I need someone important such as you with me to prove that I am trusted. You do not accept payment, that is well known, and I cannot bring someone from the city at random without being suspected of bribing them into aiding me. You also have to admit that if I show up on my own, that doesn't necessarily encourage a warm reception. More like a cold pistol against the temple or an icy cell in some deep forgotten government super-prison. Now be honest, if you were me, and you had my strength and my well known temper, what would you do to ensure an honest and preferably enthusiastic negotiation?"  
>"I'd… I would do exactly what you are doing, damn it. Fine, in fact, I want to come along, you never know what you might find travelling with one of the major players for the Pokémon Underground."<p>

He patted Ash on the back, "That's the spirit! We can leave as soon as I finish setting up where we stay." Then he started to talk to himself, planning out the trip, "Now, where is the best hotel to stay at in the Hoenn city of Slateport?"

As he pondered this, Ash decided to strike up a conversation with Pikachu and Jade, "So, it appears we are going on a little trip."  
>"It appears so, did he mention Hoenn?"<br>"I think so, Pikachu, I'm not sure, but we're bound to find out, and I'm coming with."  
>"What the- why are <em>you<em> comin' along?"  
>"Let's see, you just saved and helped save my life twice, she did once, with aforementioned <em>help<em>, and after all that, you don't think at least a _little teensy weensy bit_ that I might want to tag along?"  
>"Um, well, Pikachu do you want to handle this?"<br>"Nah, I'm good."  
>"Oh, thanks a lot <em>mate<em>! You're really helping me out here!"  
>"Hey, who are you to talk about helping, Mr. I-can-do-anything-by-myself?"<br>"What's with the attitude?"  
>"Oh, don't talk to <em>me<em> about attitude, missy."  
>"Who pissed in your cheerios?"<br>"The same _bitch_ that I'm looking at right now."  
>"Oh, so I'm a <em>bitch<em>, am I, miss queen of the obscene?"  
>"Why I should—"<br>"Hey! Trainer, right here! Do not make me get in the middle of this."  
>"Ash, hon, stay out of my warpath before I run you over."<br>"Alright, alright, just chill."  
>"I'll <em>chill<em> when my corpse is in a deep freezer."  
>"Wow, is she always like this?"<br>"24/7, 365"  
>"Oh, and what is that supposed to mean?"<br>"It means that you are without a doubt still a queen bitch and you're back to your normal, fuck-happy self."

Pikachu just fumed silently, '_Oh, fuck-happy huh, well you were pretty horny yourself when you had your…_' as Ash turned towards Hiora, who had just got off of the phone, "So, when are we going to leave?"  
>"Right now, just booked a hotel smack dab in the middle of Slateport, and it's right next to where the meeting is going to take place, so we can leave now and be just in time for the meeting, with some time in reserve for any, <em>unsavory circumstances<em>, that we might encounter. Pack your bags, everybody, we're headed to Hoenn."

/

Back at the mansion…

The boy helped Brianna onto a couch in the 'servants' quarters somewhere deep in the mansion, and tried to strike up a conversation about her past.

"So, Brianna, how is it that my father managed to find you at the market? You don't look like you were held there long, otherwise you might have been hurt and be weak from deprivation."  
>"Well, I was living in the woods, in a little cottage with some very nice people that had extra money, when these people with black pokéballs and hunters gear came out of the trees and threw a net on me. One of them hit me in the leg with a dart, and I woke up in a cell. I think the dart was some form of knockout cocktail. Anyway, they had taken everything except my underclothes and then your father came in, holding a cane with a silver skull. He saw me, pulled out a silver card, gave them something on a sheet, and then I was hit again with that stupid dart. After that, you already know, now, who are you? What is your name?"<br>The boy spat, "I unfortunately go by the name of Dominic Horacio Maxwell, of the Slateport Maxwells, and you had the equally unfortunate pleasure of meeting with bloody _poachers_." His emphasis on the word 'poachers' had enough venom to make a Seviper jealous, "Blasted poachers, they must have seen you while you were outside and thought you were part of one of the wild tribes. Well, I suppose it is not the worst of luck."  
>"And why is that?"<br>"That's because I got to meet you."

She blushed a bit, "Um, well, that's very nice." He felt a bit sheepish, "Yes, I suppose so, anyway, there are a few tips and tricks that you can use to make your time here easier. At some point or other he tires of whatever slave girl he has seduced or bought and I can almost certainly guarantee to get you somewhere nice afterwards, and definitely too at least keep you from going back to the black market. When he's drunk, he can't hit a fly hard enough to kill it, so just pretend to be in pain. While he's awake, just humor him and do more or less what he says. However, I think that since he put you into my custody, as he so _elegantly_ put it, the situation, as I see it, is a unique one. I may be able to directly contribute to your well being. So, we need to be extra cautious, who knows what sort of tricks his alcohol fueled imagination will have cooked up."  
>"Why are you helping me? Why would you do this? Why risk anything to help someone?"<p>

Dominic clenched his fist tightly in his anger, the knuckles turning pale and his face growing ever so slightly red, "This, this kind of, _savagery_, this _pointless_ cruelty is something that anyone with a shred of sense would chase from their home and not have shadow their doorstep. This is wrong in its purest form, cruelty to be cruel. I cannot, _will_ not, not without a fight, allow actions of this nature to consume at will and pleasure, because that would be an even graver evil to perform, sloth induced apathy, to allow a dark deed to be done before you without intervention. This much is true, no matter how purely devilish the deed or the man."

He got on his knees, "I am not a vile person, not like my father, and as such, to allow such an atrocity to act before me would be an affront to all that my good mother stood for when she left him, and all I believe in, that deep, deep down within my father, lay a virtuous soul buried beneath his indifference and alcohol to protect."  
>"To protect what?"<br>"His heart."  
>"I don't understand."<br>"If some people have their hearts broken when they trust someone, when they try to believe and have faith, then to protect themselves, they form a wall between their hearts and the rest of the world, in the process turning the heart, or what they believe is left of it, and making it hard as a stone. It's a sad thing, but common among the broken hearted."

Brianna felt something deep in her heart for this boy, and for his father, but more for him than the paternal figure he lived with. She felt a connection and a calling, a calling to help him, and a connection that compelled her into action, to shield him from pain and sorrow, and to take with him what she could not protect him from. In short,

She fell for him.

Brianna felt this in her heart, and she knew it. It would have been extremely hard for her not to fall for Dominic, now that she thought about it; he had a sort of charisma about him that drew her close, that pulled at her heartstrings and made her want to be with him. She opened her mouth to tell him, "Dominic, I-"  
>"Sh," he covered her mouth, "if you have something to tell me, don't do it here in the house. I'll find an excuse for us to leave so we can talk in a public place, that way my father can't spy on us using video cameras."<p>

Video cameras? Brianna turned to see a small black hemisphere on the ceiling, slightly transparent, with a barely visible camera focused on them. She turned back, "Yes, smile, you're on camera. He may be a drunkard, but my father is also a clever business man and has full understanding of the phrase, 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. We have to pay attention and keep on our toes if either of us are going to stay safe."  
>"If this is true, then why are you telling me any of this now, when he can here every word?"<br>"Because my father, and he knows I know this, believes that I can do little to stop anything he does, and in that field, he's never been wrong. No matter what, he does as he pleases and voids any blame on innocent and sometimes even gracious people. It drives me mad, I can't ever seem to find out how he does it, but he always manages to circumvent and even outright predict my direct interventions."

She placed her hand on his shoulder, patting him softly to comfort him, and he smiled at her, making her heart dance. '_Fuck_,' she thought, '_if only we weren't here, if only we could be open about this stuff. I wish I could tell him how I feel, but I don't even know him, let alone if I do now his father would skin us both! Wait, I think I know somewhere we can talk._'

She tugged his shirt, "Dominic," he covered her mouth again, "I must insist, at least only while in this household to avoid my father's wrath, you refer to me as master, sir, lord Dominic, or the like, if only to appease him."

She nodded, and Dominic removed his hand, "I understand, Dom- I mean, sir."  
>"Good, now what were you saying?"<br>"I was saying that I know a place where we can talk, or rather, where I can tell you anything you want to know."  
>"Excellent, where is it? Wait, no, don't tell me, not right now. You can tell me in the car, and I'll see if I can't disguise the location."<br>"Alright."

He took Brianna by the hand, taking her to the garage, and when he opened the door, he said something, but she couldn't hear it over her gasp.

A beautiful black limo sat idling before her, purring like a contented cat. It was a slick, black limo, but that's all that was typical of it. It fused an old car body with that from the future, gracefully starting with a classical style front that faded into a futuristic Tron-inspired lighting job and a slick aerodynamic back. The lights flared lightly like waking eyes, and all in all, it was one badass way to ride.

Dominic looked indifferent, but slightly embarrassed, "Yes, it's a bit of an Oldsmobile fantasy, but it's my father's Oldsmobile fantasy. Looks great, but it guzzles gas like a 1954 Buick, not that my father cares in any case."

He walked over to the car, being patient as a Kirlia anthro with a driver's uniform opened the door to allow them both in. Then he got into the driver's seat, "So, master Dominic, where to?"  
>"Oh, I'm not determining the location, that's my new servant's decision. She has a <em>bar<em> in mind with no _unsavory listeners_ around, and since a _certain adult figure_ is _supervising_, she will _tell_ you where it is."

All that he said was pretty plain, even to Brianna. Dominic's father was watching, Brianna had a private location where his father could not spy on them hopefully, and since Kirlia were psychic, Brianna just had to think the location in mind and the driver would go there. "Oh, one more thing, we might have _guests_." The driver tipped his hat, "Then I'll pick them up and show them the town."

The garage opened, the limo sliding out the doorway like a panther on the prowl, just as a slick black Prius came up behind them. Brianna tugged on Dominic's jacket sleeve, and he patted her hand in acknowledgement, "I know, driver, one of our guests is at Mudkip and Harwich."  
>"Yes sir."<p>

Smooth as silk, the driver took the car to the corner of Mudkip and Harwich, getting enough distance to deposit Dominic and Brianna without the Prius behind them seeing. The two of them ducked into the nearest building as the limo drove off, making a left as the Prius followed, moving slowly past the building before going on. Dominic was the first out of the building, looking around, and he motioned for Brianna to follow. She did, walking with slow purpose so as not to attract attention. She quietly moved through the crowd, moving as his shadow, and followed him to a quiet alley. Once they were hidden within the alleyway, Dominic moved her behind himself, watching from the shadows.

He didn't have to wait long, as the Prius that had been following him slowly made its way to the hiding spot, and Dominic slid into the darkness, disappearing beneath the overhang at the top of the alley, and leaving mortal sight. The Prius slowly drove past the hiding spot, and the two of them held their breath. Dominic slowly reached for a holster he hid under his suit jacket, fingering a colt .45, and preparing to draw, thanking the grueling training his father put him under to learn the quick draw.

But to no need, as the Prius drove right past and sped up once more, following the limo in smooth transition, as if it hadn't ever slowed down in the first place.

The pair of them sighed in unison, relieved at this, and then Dominic turned to Brianna, "Now then, feel free to use whatever terms you wish to refer to me, so long as you do so only in private places, otherwise I shall go by the name 'Zack', understand?"  
>"Yes, but why—"<p>

Without a hint of warning, he ran into the alley and started tugging on a box, pulling out a crate full of clothes. He grabbed two sets and handed one to Brianna, "Now then, I suggest we change outfits and move to your secret place so I at least can get you caught up on the finer points of survival in my home, and you can tell me more about your past."

Brianna was guided deeper into the alley, and then Dominic placed her behind a thin cardboard wall. He turned around, "Wait, where are you going?"  
>"It would be rude to 'peep' on you changing, besides, I have some changing to do myself, and the quicker we do so, the faster we can move."<br>"Out in the open? To hell with that! Stay back here and do it, I won't mind."

His face grew hot, "Err, um, n-no, I couldn't possibly invade your privacy like that."  
>"Then you can turn around and stand over here, yes right there, and we can change at the same time, without you having to risk your balls being seen by the whole planet and their mom."<p>

So they did, and Dominic couldn't help taking a peek over his shoulder to see how she was faring, and he felt embarrassed seeing her underclothes, so he quickly changed and turned around to see if she was done.

He got done a bit too quickly.

Brianna had been pulling on her pants and he caught a flash of white before she got them on, getting _very_ red in the face. She noticed, "Hmm, oh, did you like what you saw?"

He mumbled, "Uh, um, let's just get going. So, where precisely are we going?"

She sighed, messing with him like this wouldn't be possible inside the house, so she wanted it to last, hoping to hint at how she felt and get it across to him without having to say it or have others catch on. "It's a bar, not far from here, and I know the bouncer."  
>"Wait, bouncer?"<p>

A few minutes later…

Dominic came back to the table with drinks, "So, that bouncer, you had to give him a blowjob at some point in the past."

She shivered, "Almost did, I managed to squirm out of it, but Charlie has a _long_ memory, and a harlot wedged where his heart should be. I'm one of the lucky ones."  
>"Who might be unlucky?"<br>"The girls he takes a whip to in his bed."

They both shivered, "Nasty stuff," they both agreed, and then Dominic realized where they were, and felt like shouting profanities at the top of his voice in fear. Brianna didn't notice, too rapped up in her own battle within. '_Just tell him, what's there to lose?'_  
>'<em>Him.<em>'  
>'<em>You're getting a bit crazy, he might not say no, and he might even feel the same way.<em>'  
>'<em>You don't know that for sure.<em>'  
>'<em>Well, you'll never find out until you either ask or tell him!<em>'  
>'<em>Wait, that's it! I can ask how he feels, using the right phrasing, and then I can tell for sure!<em>'  
>'<em>But if he's evasive, or he doesn't feel the same way, that'll be too much.<em>'  
>'<em>Oh, live for the sake of Arceus! You won't know until you ask or you tell, so ask him, dammit!<em>'

She looked at him, "Uh, Dominic, I—" he cut her off with his hand, "Shh, not here, it's not safe." She was confused, "What, no, this is the place I told you about, it's fine here." He shook his head, "No, it's not, this is a hive for some of my fathers employees. See that man over there?"

He pointed to the barkeep, and she nodded, "Jacob, he runs the bar." He shook his head, "No, not really. The bar is a cover; he uses this place as a haven to keep my fathers associates and such out of the public eye and away from the arm of the law. In thinking you were leading us away from the lion, instead you lead us right into a den of hyenas."

She drooped, "I don't believe this. All this time, I've been hiding in a hornet's nest and was none the wiser. Great, now we're going to be caught and it's completely my fault." Then he smiled, "That is one statement you'll be happy to be wrong about."

He whistled, holding up two fingers, "Hey, barkeep, two mochas!" She panicked, whispering at him aggressively, "What the fuck are you doing? He's working for your father!"  
>"That is precisely why I set up an x-field."<br>"Huh?"

Instead of the barkeep, a female Blaziken came over, holding a tray. She talked as she set the drinks on the table, "I can't believe you came here of all places! What caused you to loose your senses?"  
>"Relax, Kathy, Brianna thought that this was a safe zone, when in fact it's the mouth of a volcano."<br>"That would be the Milotic here?"  
>"Yes, hi."<br>"Well, be grateful I can get you out of here. Give me a second to work my magic and I'll show you a real safe zone."

With that, she walked away, and started talking to the barkeep. "What is she doing, Dominic?" He grinned, "What she said, working her magic."  
>"But that's the guy working for your father!"<br>"He's also her boss, a gambler, a drug-dealer, and a greedy bastard, but he takes it as a complement."  
>"Why?"<br>"He thinks that by sinning like no tomorrow on purpose, he spits on the name of Arceus. Poor fool doesn't realize that he's simply digging his own grave."  
>"Ah, so who is she?"<br>"Who, Kathy? Oh, she's a friend of mine that I managed to get employed here, and also a member of the Pokémon Underground."  
>"What!"<br>"I have a few tricks up my sleeves."

Kathy came back without her maid's outfit in street clothes, "Okay, ready to go, we're heading out the back door."  
>"Nice, so what deal did you strike?"<br>"Standard stuff, have to come in early for no extra pay to make up for missed work, and I have to come home with him and do a few 'extra favors'."

The way she said it made the three of them shiver, "I swear, I've met a shitload of scumbags in my time, but that man tops the heap."  
>"You should meet my father then."<br>"If half of what I hear is true, I'd rather have a Blaze Kick to the tits than meet him."  
>"Wise choice."<p>

Katherine took them behind the bar, opening the door to an alleyway as the barkeep shouted over his shoulder, "And don't forget to bring 'it'!" Dominic spun when he heard this, but the door was already shut, "You didn't."  
>"I did."<br>"You shouldn't sell yourself like that! It's bad enough you prostitute yourself!"  
>"I need the money, dammit! The standard pay isn't enough anymore, I have other people to think about, even if I have to stick a piece of plastic between my hips or rub shit on his penis, I have to get more!"<p>

Dominic grew solemn, "I could help, and you know I would."  
>"I know your dad, and I know you, but if you try to help me the way you plan, no offense, but you'd be in deeper shit than you are now."<br>"I don't give a damn as long as you don't have to do things like _that_ on a regular basis! You're worth more than being a whore, and dammit, if that means taking a thrashing so you get decent treatment, I don't care if they stick solid salt knives in my arm, I'll do it!"  
>"You're a nice boy, Dominic, but nice people don't survive in the world these days. Look out for yourself, that's what you need to do right now."<p>

He grew darker, "Let's just get to the compound before someone sees us." Katherine nodded, and Brianna was frightened. In the short time she'd known Dominic she'd never seen this side of him. It showed the genes of his father within his body, but good genes, and now she could see how he could possibly hope to save his father from evil. She comforted him, and his dark persona lessened. As a Milotic, she could feel the different forms of negativity swirling within his mind, and felt a deep urge to take them, to help him. But if she did, who knew how he would respond to something like that.

She took a small chance, and subtly lessened the burden upon his shoulders, taking some of his anger and sadness and banishing it back to the vile place from where it came. As he walked with her, following Katherine, he felt better.

Kathy came to a condemned building a few blocks from the bar, and turned into the alley. She walked to the wall, eyeing the telephone next to the door to the condemned building. She took it and dialed, speaking a bit into the phone with someone. What was being said Brianna did not know, she was more focused on slowly curing the darkness in Dominic's heart.

Then Kathy put the phone back on the cradle, and the door opened. Dominic smiled, walking inside, and then he turned to face Brianna, "Welcome, to the Slateport City Pokémon Underground member compound.

The level they were on was like a fusion of a post apocalyptic survival base and a modern day business, people rushing left and right in various states in various ways doing all sorts of business. An accountant was discussing something with a trashy, hobo-like Bellosom. An armed Raichu looked like a surviving commando, holding her rifle on her shoulder and a bandana, but had a somewhat sweet disposition. Brianna even swore she saw a Lugia anthro fly by.

The sweet-ish commando Raichu came over, waving her empty hand, "Dominic, Kathy, you're here!"  
>"Hey Jess."<br>"Hey, Jessica, good to be back, girl!"

Kathy hugged her, and then turned to Dominic, "Listen, Dom, I got some business to take care of, show the new girl around. In fact, take her down to the café first, she looks thin."

As Kathy walked by the Raichu, she eyed her back with a lusty gaze, before walking off. Brianna was curious, "Did she just look at you like you're her partner?"

Jess waved it off, "Oh, that was just one time. Fun night, but never heading down that road again."  
>"What, being lesbian."<br>"No, crazy sex for the sake of crazy sex."  
>"Ah, good move Jess."<br>"Thanks, Dom, yeah, after she tried to turn her fingers on me, or rather, my pussy, I thought hard about it, and realized I'm not up for that unless the person I'm doing it with is going to be serious about a relationship, and frankly, I doubt there's a girl out there I'm comfortable with having grope her fingers around in my insides."

Jessica looked Brianna over, "So I'm guessing you're the new girl." She bowed a bit, "Yes, my name is Brianna." Jess stuck her hand out, "Jessica, I'm one of the offensive saboteurs for the Pokémon Underground. Unlike most here, I don't prefer to do the paperwork, I prefer to strategize and cripple with actual physical effort, especially if it involves blowing stuff up to the fucking moon." She eyed Dominic, "So, Dom, or I ought to call you by your nickname, the Don, you plan on showing her around, huh?"  
>"Jess, please, I asked you not to call me that in front of the new people. Plus, she's someone I particularly would prefer use my name."<br>"Oh, I got you, casanova."  
>"What, me, her, you think, no!"<p>

"Uh huh, listen, you need to borrow _something_, just talk to me," she winked at him, then Brianna, of course, asked, "Why are you called 'the Don'?"

The moment she said the words 'you' and 'the Don', the whole room turned to them, swarming him, stating fact, congratulating accomplishments, and asking for advice on various issues. He glared at Jess, "That's why!" he growled.

It took a few minutes, but he managed to clear a path to the elevator. Jess brandished the end of her fist, swinging wide to deter people, "Back, back you savages! I said get back!" She was obviously having a blast.

When the elevator door closed, Dominic let loose, "Why do you do that!"  
>"What, I didn't know that would happen."<br>"Yes you did! You do this _every time_ I come here! Why must you constantly sick the organization on me!"  
>"Well now your girlfriend there knows what to deal with when she visits you here."<br>"Whoa, she is _not_ my girlfriend, she's someone that my father _employed_ in his household, and furthermore, he is giving me a deadline to take something from her that I would rather prefer to be given, involving her sexual experience."

Her eyes widened, "Ah, I see. Well, if this all blows over, don't say I didn't tell you so."

The elevator 'dinged' and the doors opened to a full floor café. Brianna looked around and as she did, the sight grew more and more fantastic. Drink bars and snack machines and vendors of all sorts surrounded a plaza of tables, forming the single largest 'café' she'd ever seen.

Dominic, with a smile on his face, stood in front and spread his arms wide, "Welcome, Brianna."

**Hah! Excluding this note right here, I have reached precisely 40,000 words! Awesomeness! Also, the next chapter may be a while, due to the fact I need to update my System Chaos story and I have others I need to take care of. This is not on hiatus, I am simply reprioritizing.**

** Hiora: Good, I want to come back as soon as possible.**

** Jess: And I just got in the story**

** Fox: And I need him to work on mine**

** Sly: And mine.**

** Link & Midna: And ours!**

** N.F.: Alright, dammit, I get the picture, I'm behind on my work!**


End file.
